Cardiac Arrhythmia Before Dental Treatment in Elderly Patients

「Summary」Seventy-five dental patients between the ages of 65 and 94, who had previously been diagnosed as having cardiovascular diseases (CVD), were observed between January 1995 and August 1998. The visits were conducted either in the hospital or at home. There were a total of 477 patient-visits, and at each patient-visit, an ECG (lead II) was monitored for 5 minutes as part of a general health assessment before dental treatment. As a result, various arrhythmias were found. One patient was prescribed an antiarrhythmic drug because of ventricular bigeminy. Dental treatment was deferred for two patients because of multiple VPC or sinus tachycardia. In this study, we found that a potentially serious arrhythmia in patients with no history of arrhythmia, and routine pre-operative assessments including an ECG are recommended.