Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

P Penther

Publications and source records attributed to P Penther.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

[Tricuspid insufficiency in posterior infarction caused by occlusion of the right coronary artery. Anatomical study].

Thirty-one autopsy cases of patients (20 men, 11 women) who died within 5 days of the onset of primary posterior wall myocardial infarction due to occlusion of the right coronary artery (RCA) were divided into two groups: Group A (19 cases) with associated right ventricular infarction and Group B 812 cases) without right ventricular extension of the infarct. The causes of death were practically identical in the two groups except for cardiac rupture which was always septal and more common in Group A. In Group A, the complete occlusion of the RCA was always proximal to (18 cases) or at the site of origin (1 case) of the right marginal artery. Twelve cases (63 p. 100) of tricuspid regurgitation were detected in Group A but there were no such cases in Group B. Tricuspid regurgitation was associated with a significantly poorer short term prognosis. It was not related to a greater degree of dilatation of the tricuspid ring but to more severe septal and right ventricular infarction causing prolapse of the septal and posterior septal leaflets into the right atrium. A second group of autopsy cases comprised 40 patients dying in the long term (1 to 14 years later) after primary posterior wall infarction. In 15 cases (Group A) the post-mortem study showed chronic right ventricular infarction, an extension of a chronic left ventricular infarct. These findings were absent in the other 25 cases (Group B). The mean survival times (Group A : 6.1 years, Group B : 5.9 years) were comparable.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Aged↗

[A new electrocardiographic technic: voluntary, sequential ambulatory recording].

Voluntary sequential ambulatory electrocardiographic is a new electrocardiographic diagnostic method. The recorder weighs 300 g and measures 156 X 95,5 X 19 mm. The electrodes, which are an integral part of the device, record the cardiac potentials from the hands and chest wall for a programmed interval of 40 or 20 seconds which can be repeated four or eight times. The recordings are in a solid memory and restituted on an electrocardiograph directly using a cable or by telephonic transmission. The bandpass ranges from 50 Hz to 0.05 Hz (analysis of the ST segment). Our experience after several hundreds of recordings shows: - that the recordings obtained are of good quality and perfectly interpretable (even the ST segment) when the patient cooperates satisfactorily; - that the "diagnostic return" is high because the patient only records when he experiences symptoms (the small size of the recorder enables the patient to wear it continuously for periods of several days); - that the need for the patient to play an active role always requires detailed instructions, a condition which sometimes limits the use of this technique (very old or very young patients). These results indicate that voluntary sequential ambulatory electrocardiography is a very promising technique for diagnosing some paroxysmal symptoms (palpitations, episodes of dizziness, chest pain). It does not supplant continuous electrocardiographic recording (Holter method), a more exacting and costly technique, but could significantly reduce its indications.

Ambulatory Care↗

[Right ventricular function during the convalescence phase of posterior primary infarction].

Right ventricular extension is very common in inferior myocardial infarction and the resulting haemodynamic changes are well documented. The aim of this prospective study was to assess the consequences on regional and global right ventricular function at a distance from the initial episode. The study population included 32 patients (29 men and 3 women; mean age 52.7 +/- 6 years) admitted consecutively to the coronary care unit for acute inferior wall myocardial infarction with right ventricular extension (group A: 14 patients) or without (group B: 18 patients), based on the initial haemodynamic data. All patients underwent right and left cardiac catheterisation with selective biplane right and left ventriculography and coronary angiography, 2.9 +/- 1 months after the acute episode. In group A, there was a normalisation of the haemodynamic changes observed during the acute phase of myocardial infarction, complete occlusion (10 cases) or a significant residual stenosis (3 cases) of the right coronary artery proximal or immediately distal to the right marginal artery and persistence of an alteration of global right ventricular systolic function when compared with group B (increased end systolic volume: RVESV = 43 +/- 11 ml/m2 vs 35 +/- 9 ml/m2, p less than 0.02, and a decreased ejection fraction: RVEF = 49 +/- 7 p. 100 vs 57 +/- 9 p. 100, p less than 0.01, resulting from hypokinesia or akinesia of the right ventricular inferior wall; mean shortening delta R = 11 +/- 6 p. 100 vs 17 +/- 7 p. 100, p less than 0.01.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗

[Effects of oral sotalol on the conduction of accessory atrioventricular pathways].

The effects of oral Sotalol were assessed by electrophysiological investigations in 6 patients with ventricular preexcitation (Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome) and a short anterograde refractory period (less than or equal to 280 ms) of the accessory pathway. After 27 to 80 days (mean 41 +/- 19 days) of oral Sotalol (160 mg daily in 5 patients, 320 mg daily in 1 patient). The effective anterograde refractory period of the accessory pathway increased from 268 +/- 13 ms to 318 +/- 33 ms (less than 0.05); the shortest QR interval with appearances of preexcitation increased either during rapid atrial pacing (272 +/- 19 ms to 374 +/- 74 ms: p less than 0.05) or during induced atrial fibrillation (258 +/- 61 to 335 +/- 56 ms: p less than 0.01). The effective refractory period could only be measured in 4 cases during Sotalol therapy and increased by 10 ms, 130 ms and by at least 220 and 300 ms. During the repeat electrophysiological investigation the plasma concentrations of Sotalol ranged from 0.33 to 2.3 g/ml. These results show that oral Sotalol significantly increases the effective refractory periods of accessory pathways even when they are short under basal conditions. This product could therefore be effective in preventing the rapid ventricular response to atrial fibrillation in patients with the WPW syndrome and also in the prevention of reciprocating tachycardias.

Administration, Oral↗

[Median-term clinical development of patients with nonsurgical triple coronary vessel disease].

Patients with angiographic non-surgical triple vessel coronary artery disease are usually considered to have a poor prognosis. We studied the evolution of 110 consecutive patients (mean age of 54.8 years) who underwent coronary angiography between April 1979 and March 1983 and followed up for an average of 24 months after the investigation. There were 10 deaths during the study period, all of "cardiac" causes (5 sudden deaths, 1 cardiac failure and 4 myocardial infarctions). Ninety nine of the 100 survivors at the time the study was closed had a medical treatment (nitrate derivatives, beta-blockers, calcium antagonists, usually associated). The actuarial survival was 94 +/- 2.2% at one year, 87.3 +/- 3.5% at 4 years. The quality of life expressed in terms of angina and breathlessness was good on the whole, as only 16 and 10 patients respectively had Grade III angina and dyspnea at the end of the study. Lack of resources and a follow-up period which was too short to assess the mortality rate meant that we were unable to analyse the factors which influenced the prognosis in this group of patients. These results support those of recent studies showing a mortality rate of patients with angiographic non-surgical triple vessel coronary artery disease that does not exceed 3 to 4% per year; these results seem to have improved over the last twenty years.

Adult↗

Right ventricular function in healed myocardial infarction in man. A cineangiographic assessment.

To evaluate the frequency of right ventricular dysfunction following recovery from myocardial infarction (MI) and the relationship of segmental right ventricular (RV) wall motion abnormalities to left ventricular (LV) function or location of coronary arterial stenosis, biplane right and left ventricular cineangiograms were obtained in 100 consecutive patients (4 +/- 3 months post MI). Thirty (group A) had anterior MI and significant stenosis or obstruction of left anterior descending artery (LAD). The remaining 70 patients had inferior MI. They were divided into three groups according to the site of the main coronary stenosis or obstruction and corresponding LV akinesia: right coronary artery (RCA) proximal to the acute marginal artery (RMA), (group B: 32 patients), RCA distal to the RMA (group C: 18 patients), left circumflex artery (LCF), (group D: 18 patients). RV and LV end-diastolic volume index (EDV), end-systolic volume index (ESV), stroke volume (SV) and ejection fraction (EF) have been determined. RV segmental wall motion was assessed in RAO and LAO projection by determining the percentage of systolic shortening (+ delta R) along 11 hemiaxes. Mean axial shortening (delta R) of the RV inferior and free walls were considered. When compared with that in 10 normal subjects, RV end-diastolic volume (RVEDV), RV end-systolic volume (RVESV) were increased and RV ejection fraction (RVEF) was lower in patients with anterior or inferior MI. Inferior delta R exhibited comparable sequential changes in the three groups of inferior MI and similar LVEF alteration.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗

[Total obstruction of the anterior interventricular artery without myocardial infarction].

Complete proximal occlusion of the the anterior interventricular artery was associated with the presence (group A: 31 cases) or the absence (group B: 31 cases) of transmural myocardial necrosis in the corresponding territory. The aim of this study was to define the factors which determine the development of permanent myocardial necrosis, on the basis of clinical, electrocardiographic, haemodynamic and angiographic criteria. Group B was characterised by the following features: almost all of the patients (30 out of 31) had unstable angina, for less than 2 months in half of the cases; 67% of cases presented an abnormality of ventricular repolarisation on the resting ECG, usually (54 per cent of cases) in leads V3 to V5, suggestive of isolated sub-pericardial ischaemia in half of these cases; 24 cases presented moderate regional hypokinesia in the anteroapical territory of the LV; the distal AIV artery was more clearly visualised (17 cases had a well perfused AIV artery compared with 6 in group A) and a greater number of patients obtained homocoronary interseptal re-perfusion (8 versus 2) and heterocoronary re-perfusion by distal anastomosis of the AIV artery and the PIV artery by the apex (13 versus 3) (p less than 0.05) than in group A. However, the possibility of surgery was considered to be limited (39%) on the basis of the angiographic criteria. Thus, in group B, a "phantom AIV artery syndrome" can not be distinguished from unstable angina on the basis of the clinical and electrocardiographic profile.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗

[Carotid sinus hypersensitivity. Median-term development as a function of treatment and symptoms].

The aim of this study was to assess the incidence and natural history of carotid sinus hypersensitivity (CSH) with respect to treatment and symptoms. Between May 1976 and December 1981, 714 patients underwent carotid sinus massage (CSM) during electrophysiological investigation (271 for syncope, 163 for dizziness); 79 had a pathological response (sinus arrest for over 3 s or two successive pauses of over 2 s each). Twenty five of these patients were excluded from the study group; 23 had the sick sinus syndrome or an associated AV block, and two were lost to follow-up. The remaining 54 patients were divided into two groups: Group I, comprising 33 patients who were given no treatment, and Group II, comprising 21 patients who were treated by permanent pacing. The patients in Group I were followed up for an average of 29 +/- 16 months and those in Group II for 25 +/- 22 months. Nine of the 18 patients in Group I, hospitalised for syncope, but none of the 5 patients admitted for dizziness alone, relapsed during follow-up. Only 1 patient without syncope or dizziness at the time of investigation reported having had a syncope during follow-up. The actuarial graph of absence of syncope fell regularly in Group I (58 p. 100 at 5 years), 4 patients in Group I were then given demand pacemakers and there was no further recurrence of syncope (follow-up: 34 +/- 15 months). Only 1 patient, admitted for dizziness, out of the 21 patients in Group II (13 syncopes, 8 cases of dizziness) continued to complain of the symptoms for which he had been paced.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Aged↗

[Acquired interventricular communication and false left ventricular aneurysm caused by non-penetrating trauma of the thorax].

A 48 year old man, victim of a serious road traffic accident (multiple limb fractures, closed trauma of the left hemithorax) was immediately diagnosed as having a systolic regurgitant murmur. The initial ECG recordings showed anterior subepicardial ischemia, and later, a low antero-septal and apical infarction. The hemodynamic status progressively deteriorated, leading to catheterisation 7 months after the accident showing an inferiorly situated VSD (oxymetry and dye dilution techniques). Angiography visualised the traumatic rupture of the lower part of the septum and an inferior posterior left ventricular aneurysm. AT surgery, the septal rupture was repaired by a Dacron patch and a false aneurysm was plicated. The patient was asymptomatic after surgery, and control catheterisation and angiography one year later showed the absence of a residual shunt and good movement of the inferior posterior left ventricular wall. The lesional mechanisms associated instantaneous septal rupture by deceleration, contusion of the apex and progressive development of an inferior posterior wall false aneurysm.

Diagnosis, Differential↗

[Sick sinus syndrome: comparative study of atrial and ventricular stimulation tests].

Subjects with a ventriculo-atrial block and normal sinus function exhibit acceleration of the sinus rhythm during incremental right ventricular pacing; this acceleration is nor observed or is hardly visible in patients with sinus node dysfunction. Incremental right ventricular pacing up to 150/min was performed in 16 patients with ventriculo-atrial block (Group A) referred for investigation of sinus node dysfunction and the results compared with the classical tests of atrial pacing (Strauss'graph, atrio-sino-atrial conduction time, sinus node recovery time). The same tests were carried out in 19 patients without sinus node dysfunction (Group B). In the latter group, sinus rhythm exceeded 80/min during right ventricular pacing at 150/min and the rate increased with respect to the basal rhythm was always greater than 10/min. In Group A premature atrial pacing gave abnormal results in 4 cases, sinus node recovery times were abnormal in 15 cases, and rapid right ventricular pacing abnormal in all cases (sinus rhythm less than 80/min and/or rate increase of less than 10/min). There was no relation between the increased sinus node recovery time and the degree of rate increase during rapid ventricular pacing. Incremental right ventricular pacing, therefore, seems to be a new method of investigating sinus node function but complementary studies are required to determine its limitations, the exact mechanism and to try to widen its application to subjects without ventriculo-atrial block.

Aged↗

[Evaluation of cardiac function by external polygraphic recordings. Comparison with angiography].

Good correlations have been reported between angiographic ejection fraction and indices of left ventricular function obtained by external polygraphic recordings. We studied 104 coronary or normal patients undergoing angiography within 24 hours of external polygraphic recordings. The angiographic ejection fraction was compared with three external indices in each case: the Weissler index (PEP/ET), the normalised derivation of a calibrated apex cardiogram (ds/dt/s) and the ejection fraction calculated from the apex cardiogram (EF apex). The angiographic ejection fraction was calculated after measuring left ventricular end diastolic and end systolic volumes in the 30 degrees RAO projection by a method derived from Dodge's. No correlation was found between the angiographic ejection fraction and any of the external indices. Analysis of our results and of those previously reported lead us to the following conclusions: --systolic time intervals are very sensitive to stress, imposing recording conditions which are difficult to meet in hospital surroundings, --a good quality apex cardiogram can only be obtained in a small percentage of patients, --the apex cardiogram reflects a mechanical phenomenon due to displacement of the apex beat and cannot therefore be assimilated to changes in cardiac volume, --the ds/dt/s index is difficult to calculate without a sophisticated computer. Therefore, these methods of external recording are not suitable for routine medical practice.

Adult↗

Response of normal and abnormal sinus node to right ventricular stimulation.

Right ventricular pacing at progressively increasing rates was performed in 25 patients with complete ventriculoatrial block, before and after autonomic blockade with intravenous propranolol and atropine. At the end of each ventricular pacing stage a right intraatrial electrogram and electrocardiographic leads were simultaneously recorded. The relation between right ventricular pacing and atrial rates was studied from the recordings obtained at each pacing stage in both group I, 8 patients with sick sinus syndrome, and group II, 17 patients with normal sinus function. Right ventricular pacing was associated with an increment in atrial rate that ws significantly smaller (probability [p] less than 0.001) in patients in group I (mean +/- standard error of the mean 8 +/- 6 beats/min) than in group II (mean 25 +/- 10 beats/min). The maximal atrial rate reached during right ventricular pacing exceeded 80 beats/min in all patients in group II but remained less than 74 beats/min in patients in group I. Because autonomic blockade did not significantly influence the preceding results, it is concluded that a mechanical effect on the sinus node may explain this phenomenon.

Adult↗