[Changes in the ECG in the surgical treatment of patients with tumors of the maxillofacial area]

Abstract

The examination has involved 47 patients operated on for maxillofacial tumors. The patients' ages varied from 16 to 74 yrs. They were divided into 2 groups: Group 1 (n = 24) patients were only surgically treated; Group 2 (n = 23) ones were operated on after a course of radiotherapy; ECGs were recorded routinely. ECG changes, not observed before, were detected in the first days after surgery; these were the changes mainly in the repolarization phase. The most manifest were myocardial injury, ischemia, augmentation of electrolytic and hypoxic disorders, myocardial dystrophy. Arrhythmias and blockages of various types developed. These disorders persisted for up to 1-2 weeks and their time course was positive. In the patients operated on after radiotherapy the ECG changes were augmented by the shifts resultant from radiotherapy effects on the myocardium. These data necessitate ECG monitoring of this patient population after surgery, which helps timely detect and treat acute injuries of the myocardium.