In 14 patients with atrioventricular reentrant tachycardia incorporating an accessory pathway, electrophysiologic studies were performed before and serially at 0.5--1-hour intervals for 6 hours after the fourth dose of 80 mg of oral verapamil given every 6 hours. Verapamil increased both the longest atrial paced cycle length producing type 1 atrioventricular block and the effective refractory period of the atrioventricular conduction system at all measurements. Before verapamil, sustained tachycardia could be induced in all 14 patients. After verapamil, six patients had induction of echo beats alone at all measurements, and in eight patients nonsustained or sustained tachycardia could be induced, particularly after the fourth hour. Follow-up study with oral verapamil at the same dosage in 13 patients for 7 +/- 5 months (+/- SD) revealed that the six patients with induction of echo beats alone have been free of symptomatic arrhythmia, while six of the remaining eight patients had occasional attacks of sustained tachycardia. Thus, oral verapamil increases atrioventricular nodal refractoriness, with an effect lasting up to 6 hours. Electrophysiologic study performed 5-6 hours after verapamil can be used to predict clinical responses in patients with atrioventricular reentrant tachycardia.
Background Compared with left atrial (LA) dimension, LA emptying fraction (LAEF) has received less emphasis as a predictor of atrial fibrillation (AF) recurrence after radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA). In addition, patients experiencing post-RFCA AF recurrence may respond to previously ineffective antiarrhythmic drugs (AADs). Classifying these patients into a third RFCA outcome category is recommended. Objective To identify predictors of RFCA outcome classified into three categories, and to build proportional odds logistic regression models for clinical applicability to predict AF recurrence. Methods Data were retrospectively collected from 483 consecutive patients with drug-refractory AF undergoing RFCA (328 men; age 58.4 ± 11.5 years; 383 paroxysmal). Patients were classified into 3 groups based on the last RFCA outcome: group 1, free from AF without AADs; group 2, free from AF with AADs; and group 3, recurrence of AADs-refractory atrial tachyarrhythmia. Results After a mean follow-up duration of 64.5 ± 43.2 months and mean ablation procedure number of 1.37 ± 0.68, the RFCA outcome showed 76.0%, 9.5% and 14.5% of patients in groups 1, 2, and 3, respectively. In multivariate analysis, LAEF was the most stable and important predictor of AF recurrence, followed by body mass index, stroke, AF duration, mitral regurgitation, and LA linear ablation. For patients undergoing repeat RFCA, LAEF was the only independent predictor (cutoffs: 43% and 35% for groups 1 and 3, respectively). Conclusion LAEF provides optimal prognostic information regarding the risk stratification of AF patients undergoing RFCA.
Background The effects of SEA0400, a Na + / Ca 2+ exchanger (NCX) blocker, on dynamic factors and arrhythmogenic alternans in 1‐month myocardial infarction (MI) hearts remain unknown . Methods Simultaneous voltage and intracellular Ca 2+ (Ca i ) optical mapping was performed in 12 rabbit hearts with MI for 1 month and six normal rabbit hearts as control. Western‐blot studies were performed in both groups in an additional six hearts for each. Action potential duration (APD) restitution was constructed and arrhythmogenic alternans was induced by dynamic pacing. SEA0400 (0.03, 3 μM) was administered after baseline studies . Results SEA0400 suppressed pacing‐induced ventricular premature beats in a concentration‐dependent manner. SEA0400 at 0.03 μM steepened APD restitution slopes and enhanced spatially discordant alternans (SDA), which became insignificant at 3 μM. The VF inducibility was seven of nine at baseline, nine of nine at 0.03 μM SEA0400, and five of nine at 3 μM SEA0400 (P = NS). Significant upregulation of NCX in the remote but not periinfarct zone and less degree downregulation of DHP1α in the remote versus periinfarct zone may play a role in enhancing SDA induction by SEA0400 in 1‐month MI hearts . Conclusions In 1‐month MI hearts, SEA0400 suppresses pacing‐induced ventricular premature beats, but also is proarrhythmic by steepening APD restitution and enhancing SDA via NCX inhibition. Heterogeneous upregulation of NCX and downregulation of DHP1α may contribute to SDA augmentation by SEA0400 in this model. The insignificant effect of SEA0400 on VF inducibility suggests that suppression of both reentry and triggered activity is required to suppress VF induction in this model .
Early elevation of the serum myoglobin level in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) has been noted for years. In this study, 39 patients admitted to the Coronary Care Unit with acute chest pain within 72 hours (mean 12 +/- 15 hours) or electrocardiographic changes suspected of acute myocardial infarction had a serum myoglobin latex agglutination test to evaluate its diagnostic accuracy in acute myocardial infarction. Of these 39 patients, 24 had documented acute myocardial infarction as their final diagnosis. By the time of admission, 18 of the 24 cases with infarction had positive myoglobin tests (sensitivity 75%). Of those 15 cases without myocardial infarction, 13 had negative myoglobin tests (specificity 87%). If only those 17 cases admitted within 5 hours of the onset of chest pain were analyzed, the serum myoglobin test became positive in 8 of 10 cases with documented AMI but the 2 cases with negative results turned positive 2 hours later (sensitivity 80% to 100%). Due to the fact that myoglobin tests were negative in all other 7 cases without infarction, the specificity was 7/7 (100%). In contrast, the creatine phosphokinase isoenzyme study was positive only in 3 of these 10 patients with documented AMI in the first blood sample taken during admission. In conclusion, the serum myoglobin latex agglutination test is a quick and reliable method that helps in the early diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction.
'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23a' transform='rotate(60)'/%3e%3ccircle r='17' fill='%23000095'/%3e%3ccircle r='15' fill='%23fff'/%3e%3c/svg%3e)
