Symptomatic bradycardia can be treated with atropine. Premature ventricular contractions can be caused by hypoxia, hypokalemia, hypomagnesemia, or cardiac ischemia. Assess the patient for chest pain and check the 12-lead electrocardiogram for changes. Administer oxygen and electrolyte replacement, if needed. Junctional rhythms can be caused by anesthetics themselves and usually are self-limiting, resolving when the patient's body eliminates the anesthetic.
Anesthetic agents cause vasodilation, which also contributes to hypotension.
If the patient hasn't received adequate fluid replacement, increase I.V. fluids hourly during the postoperative period, according to the patient's clinical picture. Maligant hyperthermia Anesthetics also can precipitate malignant hyperthermia, a genetically inherited metabolism disorder that causes intense and prolonged skeletal muscle contraction, leading to hypermetabolism and production of acid and heat. Several inhalation anesthetics, as well as succinylcholine, can trigger malignant hyperthermia. Malignant hyperthermia usually occurs in the operating room but may recur in the postoperative period. A sudden unexplained increase in end-tidal carbon dioxide or tachycardia are early signs.