Cardiac arrest associated with intravenous propofol during transesophageal echocardiography before DC cardioversion.

Abstract

Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE)-guided cardioversion has been utilized as a feasible alternative to conventional anticoagulation strategies in the management of patients with atrial fibrillation. As such, the use of intravenous sedation protocols using relatively short-acting anesthetics, such as propofol, have gained popularity in the outpatient and inpatient settings for such procedures. The authors report a case of cardiac arrest and electromechanical dissociation associated with the use of intravenous propofol during TEE before direct current cardioversion for atrial fibrillation.