Anesthetic management of Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome in a pregnant patient posted for emergency caesarean section

The most common arrhythmia seen during pregnancy is paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia and Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome accounts for majority of this in such population. The presence of pre-disposing factors may facilitate the onset of tachyarrhythmias in previously asymptomatic parturients with the WPW syndrome such as increased hemodynamic, hormonal, autonomic, and emotional changes. Therefore, meticulous monitoring is essential perioperatively. Epidural anesthesia providing added advantage of hemodynamic stability and post-operative analgesia is preferred in such pregnant patients undergoing emergency cesarean section.