Ventricular fibrillation likely resulting from electrocautery and amiodarone: a rare clinical case report

Monopolar electrocautery is usually a safe and effective technique used in laparoscopic cholecystectomy and bile duct surgery, but it may lead to adverse consequences, even ventricular fibrillation (VF). Amiodarone is an effective antiarrhythmic drug commonly used in practice to treat ventricular and atrial arrhythmias, but it may induce tachyarrhythmia or even VF. We report a case of VF occurring twice during cholecystectomy. The first VF was caused by low-frequency leakage current of the monopolar electrocautery. The second VF was due to amiodarone causing further prolongation of the corrected QT interval. By performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation and defibrillation, the patient recovered and was eventually discharged in good condition. In cholecystectomy surgery, especially when separating adhesive tissue from liver, caution should be exercised when using a monopolar electrotome, which is recommended to stop bleeding in the bipolar mode. After cardiopulmonary resuscitation, caution should be exercised when using amiodarone to prevent arrhythmia, even if prolongation of the corrected QT interval does not reach the diagnostic indicators of 470 ms for men and 480 ms for women. In addition, defibrillators should be in standby mode during the perioperative period.