Effects of anesthesia on the heart

"Researchers at Rhode Island Hospital, USA, have created the first animal model that can reveal the side effects of anesthetic agents (the substances used to block pain during surgery) in individuals genetically predisposed to sudden cardiac death. The researchers also found that some anesthetic agents may trigger arrhythmias. The study appears in an upcoming issue of the American Journal of Physiology – Heart Circulation Physiology and is currently available online"