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Biomedical subjects

J Agmon

Publications and source records attributed to J Agmon.

At least 127 records · Page 7Linked to original sources

Procainamide-induced polymorphous ventricular tachycardia.

Seven cases of procainamide-induced polymorphous ventricular tachycardia are presented. In four patients, polymorphous ventricular tachycardia appeared after intravenous administration of 200 to 400 mg of procainamide for the treatment of sustained ventricular tachycardia. In the remaining three patients, procainamide was administered orally for treatment of chronic premature ventricular contractions or atrial flutter. These patients had Q-T prolongation and recurrent syncope due to polymorphous ventricular tachycardia. In four patients, the arrhythmia was rapidly diagnosed and treated with disappearance of further episodes of the arrhythmia. In two patients, the arrhythmia degenerated into irreversible ventricular fibrillation and both patients died. In the seventh patient, a permanent ventricular pacemaker was inserted and, despite continuation of procainamide therapy, polymorphous ventricular tachycardia did not reoccur. These seven cases demonstrate that procainamide can produce an acquired prolonged Q-T syndrome with polymorphous ventricular tachycardia.

Administration, Oral↗

Ventricular fibrillation complicating temporary ventricular pacing in acute myocardial infarction: significance of right ventricular infarction.

Five patients with acute myocardial infarction had ventricular fibrillation as a complication of indicated temporary pacing. All five patients had evidence of right ventricular infarction (three patients with postmortem confirmation). The presence of right ventricular infarction seems to be a contributing mechanism involved in the induction of ventricular fibrillation during temporary pacing for bradyarrhythmia complicating acute myocardial infarction.

Adult↗

Paroxysmal atrial flutter and fibrillation associated with preexcitation syndrome: treatment with ajmaline.

Ajmaline was administered intravenously to six patients with the Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome for the acute management of paroxysmal atrial flutter (three patients) or fibrillation (three patients) with a fast ventricular response (over the accessory pathway). Ajmaline increased refractoriness in the accessory pathway in all three patients with atrial flutter and stopped the flutter in one. The drug completely abolished preexcitation in two of the three patients with atrial fibrillation, decreasing the means ventricular rate of 240 and 300 beats/min to 110 and 180 beats/min, respectively. In the third patient with atrial fibrillation, ajmaline increased refractoriness over the accessory pathway, decreasing the mean ventricular rate of 300 beats/min to 160 beats/min. In two patients ajmaline was continued as an intravenous maintenance infusion until sinus rhythm was restored. It is concluded that ajmaline is an effective drug for the acute management of atrial flutter or fibrillation with a fast ventricular response in patients with the Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome.

Adult↗

Acceleration of ventricular tachycardia induced by a chest thump.

Chest thump is accepted as a simple and effective maneuver for terminating a paroxysm of ventricular tachycardia. This report describes three patients receiving digitalis in whom chest thump caused an acceleration of the rate of ventricular tachycardia. Following discontinuation of digitalis therapy, chest thump converted to sinus rhythm recurrence of ventricular tachycardia in two patients and did not cause acceleration of the ventricular rate in the third. It is suggested that in patients taking digitalis with ventricular tachycardia, chest thump should be used with caution.

Aged↗

Inhibition of ADP-induced platelet aggregation by dipyrone in patients with acute myocardial infarction.

ADP induced platelet aggregation was investigated in 48 patients within three days of the first signs of acute myocardial (AMI). Thirty six of them received 1 gram of dipyrone. Twelve patients who did not receive dipyrone served as controls. Platelet aggregation was found severely inhibited in 11 patients who had received dipyrone up to 12 hours before investigation and moderately inhibited among 25 patients who were given the drug 12-24 hours prior to the investigation. All the patients with AMI who did not receive dipyrone, exhibited a state of hyperaggregability evidenced by the presence of a second phase of aggregation even with 0.5 microM ADP. The inhibitory activity of dipyrone on the second phase of platelet aggregation resembles that of other non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.

Acute Disease↗

Polymorphous ventricular tachycardia: clinical features and treatment.

Thirty-four cases of ventricular tachyarrhythmia characterized by polymorphy of the QRS complexes with changing R-R intervals and a heart rate of 150 to 300 beats/min, termed polymorphous ventricular tachycardia, are described. The factors involved in the appearance of this arrhythmia were the administration of antiarrhythmic drugs (quinidine 22 patients, procainamide 5 patients, ajmaline 1 patient), antianginal drugs (prenylamine [Synadrin] 4 patients) and antidepressant drugs (thioridazine 1 patient). Twenty-one patients were treated for premature ventricular complexes, three for chronic recurrent ventricular tachycardia, six for atrial flutter and fibrillation, three for anginal pain and one patient for mental depression. All patients except one had a drug-induced prolonged corrected Q-T interval before the appearance of polymorphous ventricular tachycardia. Most of the patients with this arrhythmia were considered to have severe myocardial disease. Lidocaine and electric cardioversion were administered to all patients, but were effective only in seven patients whose tachycardia occurred in short, single episodes. The most effective treatment (17 patients) was temporary ventricular pacing at rates ranging from 100 to 140 beats/min. Intravenous isoproterenol proved to be successful in another 10 cases. It is concluded that patients with severe myocardial involvement receiving antiarrhythmic drugs for premature ventricular complexes, especially the multiform variety, are at high risk for the development of polymorphous ventricular tachycardia.

Adult↗

Left anterior hemiblock obscuring the diagnosis of right bundle branch block in acute myocardial infarction.

Thirty cases in which transient left anterior hemiblock (LAHB) obscured the diagnosis of right bundle branch block (RBBB) appearing during the first days of an acute myocardial infarction (AMI) are presented. Twenty-eight of the patients with AMI had a clear septal wall involvement, while the remaining two had an anterolateral and lateral wall AMI, respectively. These intraventricular conduction defects developed 2-120 hours (mean 64.9 +/- 26 hours) after the acute event, and persisted for 24 hours to 7 days (mean 63.1 +/- 35 hours). The ECG was characterized by a pure LAHB with wide QRS complexes and the presence of RBBB was shown by recording high V1 and right-sided chest leads. The vectorcardiogram was also useful in several cases. The clinical course of this type of bifascicular block was transient and benign, with an in-hospital mortality of 6.7%. No patient developed trifascicular or complete atrioventricular block and, therefore, we conclude that prophylactic installation of a temporary pacemaker is not indicated in this type of bifascicular block. The possible role of extracellular potassium released during acute myocardial necrosis in the pathophysiological mechanism of these blocks is discussed.

Acute Disease↗

Evaluation of hypertension control in general practice.

A review of the medical charts of 17 general practitioners in six family clinics in Tel Aviv showed that a blood pressure reading was recorded for 69.3% of the adult patients. Elevated values--greater than or equal to 160 (systolic) and/or greater than or equal to 95 (diastolic) mm Hg--were seen in 26.1% of the patients with recorded blood pressure readings. Antihypertensive medications were presecribed for 74.5% of those with elevated blood pressure. In two thirds of the treated group, blood pressure had been measured only once or twice before the initiation of therapy. Of the treated patients, 30% seem to have stopped therapy on their own initiative. Treatment was discontinued by the physician in 18%. Of the 52% who remained on treatment, only one third had a normal systolic or diastolic pressure on the last reading. The failure to reduce blood pressure in the other two thirds may be due, at least in part, to the use of methyldopa and reserpine without a diuretic.

Adult↗

Unusual electrocardiographic presentation of idiopathic hypertrophic subaortic stenosis.

A patient with idiopathic hypertrophic subaortic stenosis and normal coronary arteries, with dynamic electrocardiographic changes resembling acute myocardial ischemia, is presented. A definite association between the electrocardiographic changes and the idiopathic hypertrophic subaortic stenosis cannot be absolutely confirmed; however, the findings demonstrate the broad spectrum of electrocardiographic presentation in this disease.

Cardiomyopathy, Hypertrophic↗