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Biomedical subjects

H D Ambos

Publications and source records attributed to H D Ambos.

30 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Reduction of infarct size in patients with inferior infarction with intravenous glyceryl trinitrate. A randomised study.

Glyceryl trinitrate was previously said to be contraindicated in patients with acute myocardial infarction. Its intravenous administration during acute infarction, however, was associated with a beneficial effect as determined by ST segment mapping. Most recently in a selected group of patients with acute infarction and abnormal haemodynamics, intravenous glyceryl trinitrate was shown to reduce infarct size estimated by enzymes. The present study was performed to verify the safety of intravenous glyceryl trinitrate in patients with infarction under conventional clinical conditions without invasive monitoring and to determine its effect on infarct size in a prospective randomised trial involving 85 patients with infarction (43 treated and 42 control). Treated patients received glyceryl trinitrate within 10 hours of the onset of symptoms (mean 6.0 hours), and the dose was titrated to preset limits for changes in heart rate and blood pressure. In patients with inferior infarction, infarct size estimated by enzymes in the treated was only 12.2 +/- 1.8 versus 19.1 +/- 3.6 CK gram equivalents per metre squared in the placebo group. A similar but statistically insignificant trend was observed for subendocardial infarction but no difference was observed for anterior infarction. Ventricular arrhythmias determined from 24 hour tapes were more frequent in treated patients though this was not statistically significant. Lignocaine requirements in treated and control (1692 +/- 250 vs 1512 +/- 232 mg/24 h) were similar, as were the requirements for morphine (11.4 +/- 1.8 vs 12.2 +/- 2.2 mg/24 h). Results indicate that intravenous glyceryl trinitrate can be administered safely during evolving infarction without invasive monitoring and reduces infarct size in patients with inferior infarction.

Adult↗

Kinetics of positron emitters in vivo characterized with a beta probe.

To facilitate characterization of regional myocardial kinetics of positron-emitting tracers in vivo without distortion by activity outside the region of interest, a probe was developed and evaluated for monitoring radioactivity by detection of positrons themselves. These particles (beta particles) have a maximal range in tissue of only few millimeters rather than the larger range of gamma photons emitted as a result of positron annihiliation. Regional myocardial time-activity curves were determined in open-chest dogs after intracoronary injection of 0.5-1.5 mCi [15O]H2O, a tracer used for measurement of myocardial blood flow, or 6.0-8.0 mCi [11C]palmitate, a tracer used for noninvasive assessment of myocardial metabolism. Time-activity curves after [11C]palmitate injection clearly delineated specific components of myocardial tracer clearance previously identified in vitro in isolated perfused hearts. Myocardial washout of [15O]H2O was monoexponential for more than 2 min without distortion induced by recirculating tracer in ventricular blood. Reproducibility of measured tracer clearance rates during monoexponential clearance was high based on duplicate determinations for both tracers. The beta-detector probe developed overcomes several intrinsic limitations of gamma-probe systems or well counting of serial myocardial biopsies for studies of positron-emitting tracers in vivo and should facilitate assessment of factors of influencing tracer kinetics in vivo relevant to positron-emission tomography.

Animals↗

Reduction of early ventricular arrhythmia by acebutolol in patients with acute myocardial infarction.

To assess the effects of intravenously administered acebutolol (1-20 mg every 4 hours for 24 hours) on cardiac rhythm and performance, we studied 72 patients with evolving myocardial infarction. Twenty-five patients were treated with acebutolol beginning 6 hours after the first increase in the level of plasma creatine kinase. Enzymatically estimated infarct size was compared with that of 25 controls matched for predicted infarct size. Observed infarct sizes were not significantly different in the 2 groups (37 +/- 5 and 30 +/- 5 CK-gram equivalents, respectively). Mean heart rate, diastolic blood pressure, and cardiac output declined from control values during treatment with acebutolol, but remained within the normal range. Mean pulmonary artery pressure and pulmonary artery occlusive pressure were unchanged. In a group of 22 treated patients matched with 22 control subjects for frequency of ventricular extrasystoles, acebutolol effected a prompt reduction in frequencies of ventricular extrasystoles and repetitive arrhythmias, whereas values were not significantly changed in controls during the corresponding intervals. Accordingly, acebutolol may be a useful antiarrhythmic agent in selected patients with acute myocardial infarction with adversely altering haemodynamic stability or enzymatically estimated infarct size.

Acebutolol↗

Effects of dobutamine in patients with acute myocardial infarction.

This study was designed to evaluate the effects of dobutamine, a new cardioselective beta adrenergic agonist, on cardiac performance and myocardial injury in patients with evolving myocardial infarction. Results in 16 patients given dobutamine (1 to 40 microng/kg per min for 24 hours) were compared with those in two groups of control patients: one of 16 patients matched for predicted infarct size, and the other of 16 patients matched for early ventricular dysrhythmia, analyzed by computer. Infarct size was predicted from plasma creatine kinase (CK) values during the first 7 hours after the initial elevation, before infusion of dobutamine. Overall observed infarct size was estimated from hourly CK values for 48 hours (including those before and after administration of dobutamine). In all patients technetium-99m (stannous) pyrophosphate scans were positive for myocardial infarction. Dobutamine increased cardiac output (assessed by thermodilution) from 4.9 +/- 0.37 (mean +/- standard error) to 6.0 +/- 0.38 liters/min (P less than 0.05) and decreased pulmonary arterial occlusive pressure from 21.5 +/- 2.7 to 16.7 +/- 1.6 mmHg (P less than 0.01) without significantly altering heart rate or systemic arterial blood pressure. The ratio of observed to predicted infarct size, the frequency of independently detected reinfarction or extension of infarction and the frequency of premature ventricular complexes were similar in control and treated patients. Thus administration of dobutamine in doses sufficient to improve ventricular performance after myocardial infarction does not exacerbate myocardial injury or ventricular dysrhythmia.

Adult↗

Relations between enzymatically estimated myocardial infarct size and early ventricular dysrhythmia.

The relation between ventricular dysrhythmia during the first 20 hours after hospitalization for acute myocardial infarction and enzymatically estimated infarct size was studied prospectively. The duration of dyshythmia was measured by the total time during which the average premature ventricular depolarization (PVC) rate was above 25 PVCs/hr. This index was significantly correlated with infarct size index (ISI) and the strength and significance of the correlation increased when patients with previous, remote myocardial infarction were excluded. An initially expected correlation between PVC frequency and average heart rate was not observed. In a subset of patients selected to include the entire range of ISI, median PVC coupling interval did not correlate with ISI or heart rate. Our results confirm the general reduction of PVC frequency with time after hospital admission. An analysis of total lidocaine administered for therapeutc purposes and dysrhythmia evaluated by retrospective computer analysis disclosed a moderately strong and significant correlation. These findings indicate that persistence and severity of ventricular dysrhythmia in the first 20 hours after hospitalization for myocardial infarction are related to enzymatically estimated infarct size.

Adult↗

Relation between infarct size and ventricular arrhythmia.

In order to determine whether ventricular arrhythmia is quantitatively related to infarct size estimated enzymatically we studied 31 patients with acute myocardial infarction without cargiogenic shock. Infarct size index was estimated from hourly serum creatine kinase (CK) changes during periods of 48 to 72 hours. Ventricular arrhythmia was quantified by automated analysis of continuous electrocardiographic recordings over a period of 20 hours with the use of the Argus/H computer system. Patients were classified into three groups according to infarct size index. Patients in all groups had similar average heart rate, blood pressure, serum potassium, and arterial pH and PCO2 values during the first 10 hours after admission. The total number of ventricular ectopic beats (VEB), frequency of couplets, and ventricular tachycardia, and peak rate of ventricular ectopic beats during the first 10 hours after admission were all related to infarct size index. For example, patients with small, medium, and large estimated infarct size averaged 26, 104, and 405 ventricular ectopic beats, respectively. These results suggest that the severity of ventricular arrhythmia early after myocardial infarction is related to the extent of myocardial injury as estimated enzymatically. Thus the apparent efficacy and therefore the evaluation of antiarrhythmic agents early after myocardial infarction may be influenced by the magnitude of injury sustained by the heart.

Arrhythmias, Cardiac↗