Expert: Ronald Levy, M.D. - 6/12/2008

Question
my heart rate increased to 123 after an maxillary block and iv sedation. how common is this? i want to know what to tell the next anesthiologist, if i have surgery again

Answer
It is not uncommon and there is no need to tell the next dentist anything. What most likely happened is the dentist used epinephrine in the local anesthesia and some of that local probably got into a small blood vessel causing the increased heart rate. Nothing to worry about. I assume your heart rate came back down within about 2 minuites.

Ronald Levy, MD
Associate Professor of Anesthesiology
UTMB-Galveston