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Biomedical subjects

R C Dhingra

Publications and source records attributed to R C Dhingra.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

Participation of fast and slow A-V nodal pathways in tachycardias complicating the Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome. Report of a case.

Electrophysiological studies in one patient with type B pre-excitation and dual A-V nodal pathway revealed several types of paroxysmal narrow QRS tachycardia (PSVT). One type of PSVT reflected antegrade fast A-V nodal pathway and retrograde anomalous pathway conduction. This PSVT was characterized by early retorgrade activation of right atrial appendage, P following QRS and cycle length of 290 to 350 msec. A second PSVT reflected antegrade slow A-V nodal pathway and retrograde anomalous pathway conduction. This PSVT was characterized by early retrograde activation of right atrial appendage, P following QRS, and cycle length of 440 msec. A third PSVT reflected A-V nodal re-entrance with antegrade slow pathway and retrograde fast pathway conduction. This PSVT was characterized by normal retrograde atrial activation sequences, P simultaneous with QRS, and cycle length of 320 msec. All PSVT inductions could be explained in terms of antegrade and retrograde properties of fast and slow A-V nodal and anomalous pathways.

Adult↗

Sites of conduction disease in aortic stenosis: significance of valve gradient and calcification.

Electrophysiologic studies were done in 32 patients with aortic stenosis. In 24 patients with intact A-V conduction, A-H intervals ranged from 55 to 145 msec and were prolonged in two. Two had split His bundle potentials. The H-V intervals ranged from 25 to 94 msec and were prolonged in 12. The mean H-V interval was 63 +/- 2.6 msec in 12 patients with calcific aortic stenosis compared with 50 +/- 4.9 msec in 12 without calcification (P less than 0.05). The mean H-V in 10 patients with aortic gradients greater than 40 mm Hg was 62 +/- 5.6 msec compared with 47 +/- 3.1 msec in nine with gradients less than 40 (P less than 0.05). In patients with aortic stenosis and A-V block, the site of the block was distal to the His bundle in three and within the His bundle in five. All eight had calcified valves. Aortic stenosis was commonly associated with latent and manifest conduction disease in the His bundle and the trifascicular conduction system. Conduction disease was more extensive with calcified valves and greater valve obstruction.

Adult↗

Sudden death in patients with chronic bifascicular block.

Prospective follow-up studies of 277 patients with chronic bifascicular block showed that 30 patients developed sudden cardiac death (SCD). Cumulative one-, two-, and three-year SCD mortality was computed. The patients that developed SCD were compared with the remaining patients (209 alive and 38 dead). The groups were similar in regard to age, sex, AH, and HV intervals. The following were more frequent in the SCD group (P less than .05): angina, previous myocardial infarction, heart failure, cardiomegaly, left bundle-branch block, premature ventricular beats, and ventricular tachycardia. Ventricular fibrillation was the cause of death in four cases of SCD where terminal ECG documentation was available. We concluded that SCD is a major cause of mortality in patients with chronic bifascicular block. The association of SCD with coronary disease and ventricular dysrhythmia suggested ventricular fibrillation as a frequent mechanism.

Adult↗

Significance of A-H interval in patients with chronic bundle branch block. Clinical, electrophysiologic and follow-up observations.

His bundle electrograms were recorded in 308 adults with chronic bundle branch block. The A-H interval was normal in 249 patients and prolonged in 59. Comparison of patients with normal and prolonged A-H intervals revealed a greater incidence of demonstrable organic heart disease in the latter (P less than 0.01). Dyspnea, cardiomegaly and congestive heart failure were more frequent in patients with A-H prolongation. These patients also had longer P-R intervals and atrioventricular (A-V) nodal effective refractory periods, lower paced rates producing second degree A-V block proximal to the His bundle and a greater frequency of H-V prolongation. All patients were prospectively followed up in a conduction disease clinic with mean follow-up periods (+/- standard error of the mean) of 523 +/- 23 and 588 +/- 47 days in the patients with normal and prolonged A-H intervals, respectively. Seven (3 percent) of the patients with a normal A-H interval had A-V block with probable or definite site of block proximal to the His bundle in three and distal to the His bundle in four. In five of the six patients with a prolonged A-H interval who experienced A-V block (10 percent), the probable or definite site of block was proximal to the His bundle. Mortality (both sudden and nonsudden) was not significantly different in the patients with normal and prolonged A-H intervals. In summary, A-H prolongation was associated with increased incidence of organic heart disease and myocardial dysfunction. The risk of development of A-V nodal block was greater in patients with a prolonged A-H interval but appeared to be of minimal clinical significance.

Adolescent↗

Electrophysiologic effects of atropine on human sinus node and atrium.

Electrophysiologic studies were conducted in 17 patients without apparent sinus node disease before and after intravenous administration of 1 to 2 mg of atropine. Mean values in milliseconds (+/- standard error of the mean) before and after administration of atropine were as follows: sinus cycle length 846 +/- 26.4 versus 647 +/- 20.0 (P less than 0.001); sinus nodal recovery time 1,029 +/- 37 versus 774 +/- 36 (P less than 0.001); mean calculated sinoatrial (S-A) conduction time 103 +/- 5.7 versus 58 +/- 3.9 (P less than 0.001); mean P-A interval 34 +/- 1.5 msec versus 31 +/- 1.5 (P less than 0.05); mean atrial effective and functional refractory periods during sinus rhythm 285 +/- 11.3 versus 238 +/- 7.9 and 331 +/0 11.6 versus 280 +/- 8.6, respectively (P less than 0.001 for both); mean atrial effective and functional refractory periods measured at equivalent driven cycle length 239 +/- 7.7 versus 213 +/- 7.4 and 277 +/- 11.4 versus 245 +/- 9.5, respectively (P less than 0.001 for both). In conclusion, atropine shortened sinus cycle length, sinus nodal recovery time and calculated S-A conduction time. The shortening of atrial refractory periods with atropine implies that vagotonia prolongs atrial refractoriness in man.

Adult↗

Electrophysiologic effects of atropine on sinus node and atrium in patients with sinus nodal dysfunction.

Electrophysiologic studies were conducted in 21 patients with sinus nodal dysfunction before and after intravenous administration of 1 to 2 mg of atropine. The mean sinus cycle length (+/- standard error of the mean) was 1,171 +/- 35 msec before and 806 +/- 29 msec after administration of atropine (P less than 0.001). Mean sinus nodal recovery time determined at a aced rate of 130/min and maximal recovery time were, respectively, 1,426 +/- 75 and 1,690 +/- 100 msec before and 1,169 +/- 90 and 1,311 +/- 111 msec after atropine (P less than 0.001 and less than 0.001). Mean calculated sinoatrial conduction time, measured in 16 patients, was 113 +/- 8 msec before and 105 +/- 9.7 msec after atropine (difference not significant). Mean atrial effective refractory period, measured at an equivalent driven cycle length, was 262 +/- 11.1 msec before and 256 +/- 10.3 msec after atropine (not significant). Mean atrial functional refractory period was 302 +/- 12.5 msec before and 295 +/- 11.3 msec after atropine (not significant). The shortening of sinus cycle length and sinus recovery time with atropine was similar to that noted in patients without sinus nodal dysfunction. In contrast, atropine had insignificant effects on sinoatrial conduction and atrial refractoriness in this group whereas it shortens both in normal subjects. This finding may reflect altered perinodal and atrial electrophysiologic properties in patients with sinus node disease.

Adult↗

Catheter mapping of retrograde atrial activation. Observations during ventricular pacing and AV nodal re-entrant paroxysmal tachycardia.

A systematic study of retrograde atrial sequence at commonly used electrode catheter recording sites in 8 patients without, and in 4 patients with AV nodal re-entrant paroxysmal tachycardia was made. During right ventricular pacing, the retrograde atrial activation sequence was low septal right atrium--proximal coronary sinus--distal coronary sinus--high right atrium. During the episodes of paroxysmal tachycardia, a similar pattern was observed. This information should be helpful in the understanding of abnormal activation sequences in patients with paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia in whom retrogradely conducting anomalous pathways are suspected.

Adult↗

Electrophysiological and clinical observations in patients with alternating bundle branch block.

Electrophysiological studies (His bundle recordings and atrial stimulation) were performed in nine patients who manifested periods of both right and left bundle branch block (RBBB and LBBB). In seven of the patients, alternating bundle branch block appeared to reflect intermittent or chronic bundle branch block superimposed on incomplete (but electrocardiographically complete) block of the contralateral bundle branch. In three of these seven, shift from one bundle branch block pattern to the other was associated with reproducible change in H-V (mean change 30 msec), and could be induced by alteration of cardiac rate with carotid massage, coupled atrial stimulation, and rapid atrial pacing. In one of the seven, RBBB with a P-R of 0.20 seconds preceded chronic LBBB with a P-R of 0.24 seconds, implying that RBBB had been incomplete. In three of the seven, although a definite mechanism of alternation could not be demonstrated, transient contralateral bundle branch block occurred superimposed on chronic ipsilateral bundle branch block, implying that the ipsilateral block was incomplete. Two patients manifested periods of narrow QRS, LBBB, RBBB, and paroxysmal A-V block. Based upon pathological data (one case), this pattern appeared to reflect a lesion involving the distal His bundle and proximal bundle branches. In the total group of patients, clinical course was primarily determined by the severity of heart disease and not by occurrence of A-V block. The conduction defect in the majority of patients was surprisingly benign.

Adult↗

Prospective observations in patients with chronic bundle branch block and marked H-V prolongation.

Eighteen of 388 patients with chronic bundle branch block, studied electrophysiologically and followed prospectively, had H-V intervals of 80 msec or greater. Five patients were functional class I, five class II, seven class III, and one class IV. Follow-up ranged from 103 to 1919 days (mean 711 +/- 118). Three patients needed permanent pacing for the following indications: sino-atrial block, sinus bradycardia post-cardiac surgery, and 2 degrees block distal to the His bundle. Six patients died, three suddenly, and three nonsudden. The five initially asymptomatic patients are alive and without pacemakers (mean follow-up 732 +/- 139 days). Although marked H-V prolongation was associated with high morbidity and mortality in this small series, this was only in patients with symptomatic heart disease. Asymptomatic patients (five patients) had a benign clinical course. Prophylactic pacing would probably not modify clinical course in the former group, and is probably not indicated in the latter group. Longer follow-up will be needed for definitive prognostication.

Adult↗

Electrophysiological studies in patients with chronic recurrent ventricular tachycardia.

Seventeen consecutive patients with chronic recurrent ventricular tachycardia (VT) were studied in an attempt to delineate the reproducibility and mechanism of this arrhythmia. Six patients had nonsustained and 11 had sustained VT. The following electrophysiological techniques were utilized in an attempt to reproduce VT: 1) rapid atrial and ventricular pacing (17 pts); 2) atrial extrastimulus technique (17 pts); 3) ventricular extrastimulus technique (17 pts); 4) V1V2V3 stimulation technique (5 pts); 5) ventricular pacing from two or more sites (5 pts). Ventricular tachycardia was induced in six of 11 (54%) patients with sustained VT. However, in four there was only a single induction and only in the remaining two patients could VT be repetitively induced. In the latter two patients ventricular tachycardia was induced with both atrial and ventricular stimulation. Ventricular tachycardia could not be induced in any patient with nonsustained VT, although three had spontaneous episodes of ventricular tachycardia during study. In conclusion, in the present series of patients with chronic recurrent VT, this rhythm could not be reproducibly induced in the majority of patients in the cardiac catheterization laboratory utilizing catheter stimulation techniques.

Action Potentials↗

Quantification of human atrioventricular nodal concealed conduction utilizing S1S2S3 stimulation.

We studied antegrade concealed conduction of atrial extrastimuli (A2) that blocked in the atrioventricular (AV) node in eight subjects, using a third extrastimulus (A3), coupled at decreasing coupling intervals to A2. Three A1-A2 intervals were tested in each subject: late (just shorter than AV nodal effective refractory period), intermediate, and early (just longer than atrial functional refractory period). The curves relating the following variables were constructed for each A2: A1-A3, H1-H3 and A2-A3, A3-H3. The former was compared to the control A1-A2, H1-H2 curve. Concealment of A2 was demonstrated in all eight subjects at the three tested values of A1-A2. The A2-A3, A3-H3 curve allowed analysis of AV nodal conduction time (A3-H3) and AV nodal recovery time (defined as the shortest A2-A3 at which the impulse conducted to the His bundle) at identical values of A2-A3. In all subjects the timing of blocked A2 had minimal effect on both AV nodal conduction time and recovery time. In five of the eight subjects a late A2 sporadically conducted to the His bundle. Conduction of A2 to the His bundle resulted in marked lengthening of both AV nodal conduction and recovery times. Concealed conduction of A2 was always demonstrated, but the degree of concealment was relatively fixed, whether A2 was an early, intermediate, or late blocked premature beat. Slow conduction of A2 had a much greater effect than concealment of A2 on subsequent impulse conduction.

Aged↗

Sinus nodal responses to atrial extrastimuli in patients without apparent sinus node disease.

In 36 patients without sinus node disease scanning with an atrial extrastimulus (A2) was performed during sinus rhythm with the sinus cycle length measured in milliseconds. Zones of nonreset due to interference, reset, interpolation and sinus echoes were defined by noting the timing of the first response after A2. Zones were defined in terms of their longest and shortest A1-A2 coupling intervals (in milliseconds). A zone of nonreset was found in 12 of 12 patients in whom A2 was delivered late. The mean cycle length in these 12 patients was 779 msec, with a mean zone of nonreset of 779 to 585 msec (25 percent of cycle length). All 36 patients (100 percent) had a zone of reset. The mean cycle length in these 36 patients was 803 msec with a zone of reset from 692 to 319 msec (46 percent of cycle length). Seven of 36 patients (19 percent) had a zone of interpolation. The mean cycle length in these seven patients was 754 msec, with a mean zone of interpolation of 344 to 279 (9 percent of cycle length). Four of 36 patients (11 percent) had a zone of sinus echoes. The mean cycle length in these four patients was 870 msec, with a mean zone of echoes from 350 to 313 msec (4 percent of cycle length). Calculated sinoatrial conduction time ranged from 40 to 153 msec (mean +/- standard deviation 92 +/- 30 msec). Shortening of the cycle length with atrial pacing increased the number of patients with zones of interpolation and echoes. In conclusion, zones of nonreset and reset are found in all patients with normal sinus nodal function, whereas zones of interpolation and echoes are much less common. Sinoatrial conduction time is surprisingly long in patients without apparent sinus node disease.

Adult↗

Chronic right bundle branch block and left posterior hemiblock. Clinical, electrophysiologic and prognostic observations.

Twenty-one patients with long-term right bundle branch block and left posterior himiblock were studied electrophysiologically and then followed up prospectively. The group consisted of 19 men and 2 woman aged 61 +/- 2.7 years (mean +/- standard error of the mean). The majority of patients had either hypertensive cardiovascular disease (48 percent) or primary conduction disease (33 percent). Initial electrophysiologic studies revealed A-H intervals of 58 to 152 msec (mean 98 +/- 7.7) and H-V intervals of 40 to 80 msec (mean 52 +/- 2.1). Six patients (29 percent) had prolonged H-V intervals. The follow-up period ranged from 91 to 1,231 days (mean 671 +/-68). Three of 21 patients (14 percent) needed a permanent pacemaker after development of the following symptomatic conduction disease: sinoatrial block on day 3 of follow-up; second degree atrioventricular (A-V) block, site undetermined, on day 118; and second degree A-V block proximal to the His bundle on day 398. One patient died suddenly (on day 571), and two others died of noncardiac causes. In conclusion, combined right bundle branch block and left posterior hemiblock was associated with less trifascicular disease than reported previously. The clinical course of most of the patients was benign and the incidence of sudden death was relatively small. Symptomatic conduction disease occurred but could be definitely related to trifascicular disease in only one patient. These short-term data suggest that prophylactic pacemaker insertion is not routinely indicated in patients with chronic right bundle branch block and left posterior hemiblock.

Adult↗

Alternating Wenckebach periodicity: A common electrophysiologic response.

Alternating Wenckebach periods are defined as episodes of 2:1 atrioventricular (A-V) block in which conducted P-R intervals progressively prolong, terminating in two or three blocked P waves. In this study, His bundle recordings were obtained in 13 patients with pacing-induced alternating Wenckebach periods. Three patterns were noted: Pattern 1 (one patient with a narrow QRS complex) was characterized by 2:1 block distal to the H deflection (block in the His bundle) and Wenckebach periods proximal to the H deflection, terminating with two blocked P waves. Pattern 2 (four patients) was characterized by alternating Wenckebach periods proximal to the His bundle, terminating with three blocked P waves. Pattern 3 (eight patients) was characterized by alternating Wenckebach periods proximal to the His bundle, terminating with two blocked P waves. Alternating Wenckebach periods are best explained by postulating two levels of block. When alternating Wenckebach periods are terminated by three blocked P waves (pattern 2), the condition may be explained by postulating 2:1 block (proximal level) and type I block (distal level). When alternating Wenckebach periods are terminated by two blocked P waves (patterns 1 and 3), the condition may be explained by postulating type I block (proximal level) and 2:1 block (distal level). Pattern 1 reflects block at two levels, the A-V node and His bundle. Patterns 2 and 3 most likely reflect horizontal dissociation within the A-V node.

Adult↗