Electrocardiographic Changes Following Pneumoperitoneum

In spite of the wide spread use of pneumoperitoneum as an efficient tool in the treatment of chest diseases, there is still basic disagreement in regard to its influence on the electrocardiogram. It is our feeling that a better knowledge of the electrocardiographic changes following this procedure is desirable. It is the purpose of this study to describe such changes as we observed in a series of 25 patients and to attempt to correlate them with known electrophysiological principles. Material and Methods: Twenty-five subjects were selected for pneumoperitoneum therapy. Most of them suffered from moderately advanced or definitely advanced tuberculosis. None had previous collapse procedures such as pneumothorax or phrenemphraxis. The age ranged between 16 and 46 years, the average being 25. There were 12 females and 13 males. The patients were free from organic heart diseases. The majority were of asthenic build. Twelve lead electrocardiograms were taken before and after the procedure. The latter were recorded as a rule after the third or fourth inflation, first in recumbency, then in sitting position. The amplitude variations of the ventricular complexes in these two positions were considered unimportant for practical purposes. Accordingly, any significant change should be ascribed to the effects of pneumoperit~neum.~.~