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Biomedical subjects

D T Mason

Publications and source records attributed to D T Mason.

At least 271 records · Page 15Linked to original sources

Improvement of symptoms in patients with sick sinus syndrome by spontaneous development of stable atrial fibrillation.

Fifty-six patients with symptomatic chronic sinus bradycardia because of sick sinus syndrome (SSS) were followed for periods from one month to 11 years (average 3-2 years). Eleven developed stable atrial fibrillation persisting for 8 to 61 months; 52 had permanent demand pacemakers implanted before atrial fibrillation commenced. In the 11 patients with atrial fibrillation, 10 had adequate ventricular rate, 8 with rates greater than 100 beats/min requiring digoxin for rate control. The 8 patients with atrial fibrillation with pacemakers remained asymptomatic for 13 to 18 months without requiring reimplantation; battery failure occurred in 2 whose rapid ventricular rates were controlled by digoxin. In the other 6 patients with pacemakers who developed atrial fibrillation, adequate ventricular rates persisted resulting in overdrive suppression. No patient had systemic embolisation. The previous duration of symptomatic sinus bradycardia was longer in patients developing atrial fibrillation (average 5-5 years) compared (P less than 0-01) with patients without atrial fibrillation (1-9 years). Further, premature atrial contractions occurred in all 11 patients before atrial fibrillation in contrast to only 21 of the 45 patients without atrial fibrillation. It is concluded that occurrence of atrial fibrillation in SSS with symptomatic sinus bradycardia provides a natural cure of symptoms caused by bradycardia. These data indicate that permanent ventricular pacing may not be necessary if persistent atrial fibrillation develops in SSS.

Aged↗

Exercise testing and indirect assessment of myocardial oxygen consumption in evaluation of angina pectoris.

Exercise testing is an important means of evaluating the patient with angina pectoris, providing objective data not available from conventional clinical assessment. In utilizing exercise to determine functional impairment in angina, it is essential to distinguish between external stress, or the load on the skeletal muscles, and internal or cardiac stress. Evaluation of external exercise capacity alone is limited as a measure of cardiac peformance since the relationship between external function and cardiac performance is not necessarily direct. A readily applicable approach to determination of cardiac capacity in angina is afforded by indirect assessment of myocardial oxygen consumption (MVO2). This is achieved through derived indexes utilizing heart rate and blood pressure, two major determinants of MVO2, in the form of the product of heart rate and systolic blood pressure. Although this approach does not encompass all the major determinants of MVO2, changes in the heart rate-blood pressure product bear a close correlation to alterations in directly measured MVO2. Within limits and employed with caution, indirect assessment of MVO2 is useful in elucidating mechanisms of action of extracardiac and intrinsic myocardial factors in the provocation and therapy of angina pectoris.

Angina Pectoris↗

Evaluation of precordial orthogonal vectorcardiographic lead ST-segment magnitude in the assessment of myocardial ischemic injury.

Relationship has been established between epicardial ST-segment elevation, considered a reliable estimate of ischemic injury in experimental myocardial damage, and ST changes by multiple-lead precordial electrocardiography. However, 35-lead precordial mapping is time-consuming and suitable only for anterior infarctions. An alternate, more rapid method for recording ST segments is an external 3-lead orthogonal vectorcardiographic (VCG) system which also can assess the entire ventricle. Accordingly, validity of VCG ST magnitude was evaluated by direct comparison with changes in epicardial ST magnitude (EST) induced by occlusion of major coronary arteries, reperfusion, and pharmacologic interventions in 15 closed-chest dogs. A total of 404 data points (average 27/dog), 20 epicardial grid and 3 Frank XYZ leds each, demonstrated close correlation (least squares linear regression) between VCG ST and EST changes (r = 0.921 +/- 0.02 SEM). These data document the accuracy of precordial VCG ST in noninvasive assessment of ischemic injury in various areas of myocardium and its practicality for clinical application.

Animals↗

Noninvasive assessment of cardiac function and ventricular dyssynergy by precordial Q wave mapping in anterior myocardial infarction.

To determine whether multiple lead precordial electrocardiographic recordings offer an improved index for noninvasive estimation of left ventricular hemodynamic function and segmental dyssynergy, precordial mapping was performed in patients with anterior myocardial infarction, and the number of pathologic Q waves (greater than or equal to 0.04 sec) was counted (Q-Index). Left ventricular function was determined by cardiac catheterization and angiography and correlated with the Q-Index. The Q-Index correlated well with dyssynergy extent (r = 0.84) and inversely with ejection fraction (r= -0.87), stroke work index (r = -0.79) and cardiac index (r = =0.66). Three patient groups were defined by Q-Index; group I, 0.04 sec Q complexes less than 15; group II, 15-25; group III, 26-35. Q-Index related closely to functional classification and survival (mean follow-up 12.2 months): group I, 91%; group II, 81%; group III, 40%. Thus 35-lead precordial Q wave mapping with determination of total number of pathologic Q waves permits practical, atraumatic assessment of hemodynamic and functional status and allows prediction of survival in acute and chronic anterior myocardial infarction.

Adult↗

Combined dopamine and nitroprusside therapy in congestive heart failure. Greater augmentation of cardiac performance by addition of inotropic stimulation to afterload reduction.

The hemodynamic benefits of combining administration of dopamine with nitroprusside (NP) were evaluated in nine patients with chronic congestive heart failure due to ischemic, idiopathic myocardial or valvular cardiac disease. NP alone (68 microng/min) produced decline in left ventricular end-diastolic pressure (LVEDP) from 25.4 to 14.1 mm Hg (p less than 0.01) but modest increase in cardiac index (CI) from 2.41 to 3.02 L/min/m2 (P less than 0.05). Dopamine alone (6 microng/kg/min) caused an elevation of CI to 3.36 (P less than 0.01) but without decrease of LVEDP. Simultaneous infusion of the two agents resulted in favorable alterations in both hemodynamic variables: LVEDP decreased to 15.7 (P less than 0.01) and CI increased to 3.52 (P less than 0.01). It is concluded that dopamine substantially enhances the effectiveness of nitroprusside therapy in congestive heart failure by providing concomitantly the principal beneficial actions of the vasodilator and dopamine used separately. Thus combined dopamine with NP treatment considerably raises low CI while markedly reducing elevated LVEDP and provides a potentially efficacious pharmacologic modality for the treatment of severe congestive heart failure due to left ventricular dysfunction.

Adult↗

Efficacy of ambulatory systemic vasodilator therapy with oral prazosin in chronic refractory heart failure. Concomitant relief of pulmonary congestion and elevation of pump output demonstrated by improvements in symptomatology, exercise tolerance, hemodynamics and echocardiography.

The long-term efficacy of the new oral vasodilator, prazosin (PZ), was evaluated in nine patients with refractory heart failure due to chronic coronary heart disease. Ventricular function was assessed by cardiac catheterization, echocardiography, and treadmill testing; symptomatic evaluation was carried out for two to four months. One hour following 2-7 mg PZ, control left ventricular filling pressure was reduced (32 to 18 mm Hg, P less than 0.001) and cardiac index was elevated (1.95 to 2.89 L/min/m2, P less than 0.001) for a 6-hour period. After two weeks of PZ 2 to 7 mg four times daily, echographic end-diastolic dimension fell (5.7 to 5.4 cm, P less than 0.001) while shortening fraction increased (27.6 to 30.2%, P less than 0.005). Treadmill exercise duration increased from 209 to 317 seconds (P less than 0.001). Symptoms diminished throughout the duration of follow-up (mean 94 days) with improvement in NYHA functional class (3.7 to 2.2, P less than 0.001). Thus, prazosin possesses sustained nitroprusside-like balanced dilator actions on the systemic arterial and venous systems and is effective in the ambulatory management of chronic severe heart failure.

Administration, Oral↗

Effect of respiration on cardiac motion determined by cineangiography. Implications concerning three-dimensional heart reconstruction using computer tomography.

Based on 39 cineangiographies in 23 patients performed during respiration with tracing of the cardiac chambers and the diaphragm, it has been found that the heart moves significantly with respiration, approximately half as much as the diaphragm during shallow or normal respiration. The cardiac respiratory motion indicates that gating of the respiratory cycle as well as the cardiac cycle is necessary in three-dimensional reconstruction of the heart using a large number of heart beats for recording.

Adult↗

Evaluation of myocardial uptake of 99mtechnetium pyrophosphate in clinical exercise-induced ventricular ischemia.

Although acute infarction of the myocardium is known to accumulate 99mtechnetium pyrophosphate, it is not entirely clear that ischemia alone without necrosis does not result in abnormal uptake of 99mtechnetium pyrophosphate. The present study investigates whether transient myocardial ischemia is associated with localization of 99mtechnetium pyrophosphate by evaluating images obtained with the scintillation camera at rest and after exercise in 15 patients with unequivocal myocardial ischemia. All patients had angina pectoris, multivessel coronary artery stenoses by selective arteriographic studies, and electrocardiographic ischemic responses on treadmill exercise. Eleven of the 15 patients also underwent radionuclide imaging with 81rubidium at rest and after exercise; the results demonstrated scintigraphic ischemia. The scintiscans with 99mtechnetium pyrophosphate revealed no evidence of increased myocardial radioactivity after exercise compared to rest in 14 of the 15 patients. In contrast, myocardial activity was observed with 99mtechnetium pyrophosphate after treadmill exertion in the remaining patient, in whom a small subendocardial infarction appeared to have occurred with the exercise. It is concluded from these results that transient myocardial ischemia does not cause localization of 99mtechnetium pyrophosphate. These findings support the specificity of abnormal localization of 99mtechnetium pyrophosphate for acute myocardial infarction.

Adult↗

Effects of digitalis on the exercise electrocardiogram in normal adult subjects.

Controversy continues regarding the effects of administration of digitalis upon the exercise electrocardiogram. Thus, maximal treadmill exercise tests were performed before and two weeks after administration of 0.25 mg of digoxin daily in 15 normal subjects (documented by cardiac catheterization and coronary arteriographic studies). Administration of digitalis induced abnormal findings on exercise tests in all 14 subjects with serum levels of digoxin greater than or equal to 0.5 ng/ml; however, at workloads greater than 75 to 90 percent of maximal predicted heart rate, the changes in the ST segment reverted to a normal configuration in all subjects, thereby providing differentiation of digitalis-induced ST-segment alterations from those due to myocardial ischemia at maximal treadmill stress.

Adult↗

Electrocardiographic response to intravenous urography: prospective evaluation of 275 patients.

A total of 275 consecutive patients referred for intravenous urography were monitored for electrocardiographic changes during administration of Conray 400 or Renovist II in the form of either intravenous bolus or infusion. Three patients who received Conray (two bolus and one infusion) developed sustained ventricular tachycardia; they reverted to sinus rhythm with intravenous lidocaine. A statistically significant (P less than .05) number of patients developed a heart rate increase of 10 beats/min or more with bolus of either drug (65 of 128) compared to infusion (21 of 147). Depression of ST segment (greater than or equal to 0.5 mm) was encountered statistically more often (P less than .05) with bolus (20 of 128) compared to infusion (six of 147). Increase of corrected QT of 0.10 sec or more was observed more often (P less than .05) with bolus (43 of 128) compared to infusion (five of 147). Abnormal resting ECG, coronary artery disease, or congestive heart failure imposed a higher (P less than .05) risk for development of ventricular tachycardia, ST depression, or ectopic ventricular beats. It is concluded that a bolus injection be very cautiously administered to patients with risk factors such as abnormal ECG, coronary artery disease, or congestive heart failure during intravenous urography and that resuscitative facilities be available.

Adolescent↗

Hemodynamic assessment of the glutaraldehyde-preserved porcine heterograft in the aortic and mitral positions.

Although glutaraldehyde-preserved porcine heterograft (PH) valves may have a lowered incidence of thromboembolism compared to mechanical valves, data concerning postoperative function in PH valves are incomplete. Accordingly, 26 patients receiving PH in the aortic (AO) or mitral position (MIT) were studied at cardiac postoperative catheterization (mean 19 weeks). The 12 AO patients had an average peak systolic gradient of 19 mm Hg (range 3-52 mm Hg); mean valve area (VA) 1.33 cm2 (0.75-2.5; two patients had postoperative aortic insufficiency. The 14 MIT patients had a mean gradient of 7.9 mm Hg (0-13.1); VA 1.84 cm2 (0.70-3.2; postoperative mitral regurgitation occurred in two patients. AO stent diameter (SD) related to VA, r = 0.85; and peak gradient, r = -0.75. However, MIT SD did not relate to VA or peak gradient. At the 14-month follow-up examination 9 of 11 AO and 7 of 11 MIT patients improved by at least one functional class. Thus, with the advantage of reduced thromboembolism and generally satisfactory valve hemodynamics, further clinical trial of glutaraldehyde-preserved porcine heterografts is justified.

Adolescent↗