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Biomedical subjects

R W Peters

Publications and source records attributed to R W Peters.

At least 127 records · Page 7Linked to original sources

Cardiovascular collapse associated with disopyramide therapy.

Five patients with severe left ventricular failure, renal insufficiency, and recurrent ventricular tachycardia had cardiovascular collapse and died eight hours to 23 days after initiation of the usual doses of disopyramide. Three patients had recent myocardial infarction (12 to 33 days), and one had severe congestive cardiomyopathy. ECG changes antedated appearance of cardiovascular collapse and consisted of lengthening of the QRS (0.10 plus or minus 0.02 to 0.22 plus or minus 0.09; P less than 0.025) and the QTc duration (0.44 plus or minus 0.04 to 0.56 plus or minus 0.09; P less than 0.05). Sinus bradycardia or varying degrees of atrioventricular block or both occurred in all patients. Terminal disopyramide blood concentration (4.9 and 8.1 micrograms/ml) were available in two patients. A syndrome of progressive lengthening of ventricular depolarization and repolarization terminating in cardiovascular collapse and death associated with disopyramide is described. In addition, a high incidence of sinus bradycardia, atrioventricular conduction disturbances, or both was also noted. Disopyramide is contraindicated in patients with severe heart failure and renal insufficiency. Progressive widening of the QRS complex or the QT interval may presage appearance of severe myocardial dysfunction.

Administration, Oral↗

Unusual complications of epicardial pacemakers. Recurrent pericarditis, cardiac tamponade and pericardial constriction.

Three patients with unusual complications after insertion of an epicardial pacemaker are described. In one patient pericarditis and severe cardiac tamponade developed that required emergency pericardiocentesis 8 weeks after pacemaker insertion. No evidence of myocardial perforation was observed at operation. In another patient two unusual complications developed: (1) migration of the pulse generator from the epigastric site of implantation into the pelvis, and (2) recurrent pericarditis with occult signs of constriction. In another patient recurrent pericarditis and clinical evidence of constriction developed. All three patients required pericardiectomy. Recurrent pericarditis after insertion of an epicardial pacemaker requires careful medical follow-up because either life-threatening tamponade or chronic constrictive pericarditis may develop.

Adult↗

Enhanced atrioventricular nodal conduction in a patient with dual extranodal pathways.

A patient was admitted to the hospital with wide complex tachycardia and a history of recurrent palpitations. Electrophysiologic studies showed evidence of dual atrioventricular (AV) accessory pathways. One proved to be an anteroseptal (possible right anterior) pathway probably capable of only unidirectional conduction. The other pathway was in the posterior septum and conducted only in the retrograde direction. The tachycardia circuit involved anterograde conduction via either the AV node-His axis or the anteroseptal pathway and retroconduction over the posteroseptal accessory pathway. In addition, enhanced AV nodal conduction coupled with two accessory AV nodal pathways has rarely been described in English medical literature. Previous reports have carefully described anatomic, electrocardiographic, and electrophysiologic evidence of more than one accessory pathway in patients with the Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome. The introduction of surgical techniques for ablation of an accessory pathway demands precision in the electrophysiologic evaluation of patients with ventricular preexcitation. Reported herein is a patient with the unique finding of two extranodal accessory pathways and enhanced atrioventricular (AV) nodal conduction (or AV nodal bypass).

Atrioventricular Node↗

Effects of antiarrhythmic drugs on atrioventricular conduction in patients with acute myocardial infarction.

Three hundred fifty-eight of 429 (83%) consecutive patients with acute myocardial infarction (MI) and a normal PR interval received various antiarrhythmic drugs (AD), including lidocaine and/or procainamide, quinidine, digoxin, propranolol or disopyramide. There was no significant difference in the incidence of progression to any degree of atrioventricular (AV) block or to higher degrees of AV block (Mobitz II or third-degree AV block) between those treated and not treated with AD: 38 of 358 (11%) and six of 358 (1.7%) with AD vs 11 of 71 (15%) and two of 71 (2.8%) in the untreated group, respectively. Similarly, there was no significant difference in progression between treated and untreated patients with anterior MI, 14 of 144 (10%) vs five of 32 (16%); inferior MI, 21 of 111 (19%) vs five of 26 (19%), or subendocardial MI, three of 103 (3%) vs one of 12 (8%). Bundle branch block (BBB) (without AV block) was initially present in 89 of 249 (21%). The incidence of AV block (seven of 24, 30%) was higher in treated patients with newly acquired BBB (27 patients) than in the untreated patients (none of three, p less than 0.05). The commonly used ADs did not adversely affect AV conduction in patients with acute MI with narrow QRS and either normal, first-degree, or Mobitz I AV block. Moreover, no subset of patients grouped by infarct location, specific AD used, or BBB (except perhaps for those with newly acquired BBB) appeared to be at risk of development of AV block during AD therapy.

Aged↗

Bundle branch block.

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Anti-Arrhythmia Agents↗

Taxonomic studies on strains of avian infectious bronchitis virus using neutralisation tests in tracheal organ cultures.

The antigenic relationships of 24 strains of avian infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) were investigated by serum neutralisation tests performed in chick embryo tracheal organ cultures. The serum dilution that neutralised 100 median ciliostatic doses (CD50) of virus was estimated from the linear relationship between varying concentrations of each virus strain and the neutralisation titre of homologous antiserum; this dilution defined 1 antibody unit. Antisera diluted to contain 20 antibody units were then tested by neutralisation against 1.5--2.5 log10 CD50 of each strain. Clusters of both strains and antisera in turn were established by methods of numerical taxonomy using as measures of resemblance Euclidean distance and correlation coefficient, and by analysis by principal components. These analyses identified a group of 8 similar strains; neutralisation of the remaining 16 strains was slight. Similar results were obtained by classifying antisera, except that a further group of 3 antisera was demonstrated, each having a neutralising capacity for most strains. Implications for vaccine formulation are discussed.

Animals↗

Electrophysiological effects of disopyramide in patients with bundle branch block.

Electrophysiological studies were performed in 22 patients with intraventricular conduction delay before and after intravenous infusion of disopyramide (Norpace), 2 mg/kg. Mean control maximal sinus node recovery time (1039 +/- 187 msec), atrioventricular nodal conduction time (113 +/- 28 msec), and atrioventricular nodal effective refractory periods (349 +/- 67 msec) did not change significantly after administration of disopyramide (1073 +/- 284 msec, 112 +/- 31 msec, and 342 +/- 42 msec, respectively). Mean spontaneous cycle length (756 +/- 146 msec) decreased significantly 5 minutes after disopyramide (717 +/- 124 msec) (p less than 0.05), but not after 30 minutes (734 +/- 142 msec). A small but statistically significant (p less than 0.05) increase occurred after disopyramide in the mean atrial effective refractory period (259 +/- 51 to 280 +/- 53 msec), ventricular effective refractory period (253 +/- 23 to 275 +/- 33 msec), as well as the relative refractory period of the ventricular specialized conduction system (six patients) 433 +/- 78 to 479 +/- 62 msec). Although mean control infranodal conduction time (67 +/- 35 msec) increased 5 minutes after disopyramide (79 +/- 41 msec) (p less than 0.001) (18%), no spontaneous episodes of second-degree or third-degree atrioventricular block were observed. In six patients with premature ventricular depolarizations (greater than or equal to 1/min), the arrhythmia was totally abolished in four, markedly reduced in one, and remained unchanged in one. Disopyramide resulted in significant prolongation of infranodal conduction time as well as in atrial and ventricular refractoriness, but nevertheless appears to be safe in patients with bundle branch block.

Atrioventricular Node↗

Determination of His-Purkinje refractoriness in man with His bundle pacing.

Consistent His bundle pacing was accomplished in one of 60 consecutive patients. Intracardiac electrophysiologic studies in this patient revealed rapid atrioventricular nodal conduction (AH = 55 msec). While the relative refractory period of the His-Purkinje system as a whole determined by His bundle pacing (using the extrastimulus technique) was identical to that determined by atrial pacing, changes in right bundle branch refractoriness differed. An atrial extrasystolic interval of 370 msec resulted in right bundle branch block, whereas direct His pacing at a shorter extrasystolic interval (360 msec) failed to produce a bundle branch block pattern. The effective refractory period of the His-Purkinje system could not be determined by atrial pacing because of atrial refractoriness, but was obtained by His bundle pacing. Theoretically, direct His bundle pacing may be of value in determining His-Purkinje system refractoriness when this parameter is unobtainable due to either atrial or atrioventricular nodal refractoriness. This technique appears to have limited clinical usefulness, however, because of the very small success rates. Finally, His-Purkinje system refractoriness may differ, depending on site of stimulation, presumably due to differing inputs into the His-Purkinje system.

Adult↗

The susceptibility of chicken kidney and oviduct organ cultures to a vaccine strain of avian infectious bronchitis virus.

The minimal infectious dose of the H52 strain of infectious bronchitis virus for organ cultures of oviduct and kidney was compared in chickens of different ages. Organ cultures of oviduct were found to be highly susceptible to infection regardless of the age of chicken and no difference in susceptibility could be demonstrated between cultures of the magnum and uterus regions of the mature oviduct. Kidney organ cultures were less susceptible and resistance to infection increased significantly (P less than 0.001) with the age of the chicken from which cultures were prepared.

Age Factors↗

Growth comparisons of avian infectious bronchitis virus strains in organ cultures of chicken tissues.

Six strains of avian infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) were used to inoculate explants of a range of 15 chicken tissues and virus growth kinetics observed over a period of 96 hours thereafter. Similar patterns of virus production were given by all 6 strains from explants of any particular tissue such as the nasal turbinates, trachea, lung, air sacs and oviduct. Nevertheless, significant differences in behaviour between strains were noted for different tissues and in the efficiency with which certain tissues produced virus. It is suggested that the method has a potential value in determining the virulence of different strains of IBV by comparing their pathogenesis of chicken tissues in vitro.

Animals↗

Unusual case of adrenal cortical carcinoma in a female infant.

Adrenal cortical carcinoma in a 4 1/4-month-old girl was treated by surgery in combination with actinomycin D, cyclophosphamide, and 5-fluorouracil given daily for 5 days every third week for 13 1/2 months. Postoperative hypertension and raised 24-hour 17-hydroxy- and 21-oxosteroids suggested residual microscopical tumour activity. These findings resolved during chemotherapy. The patient is alive and well 22 months after completing chemotherapy. Adrenal cortical carcinoma may rarely mimic neuroblastoma or nephroblastoma when the tumour is not clinically secretory.

Adrenal Cortex Neoplasms↗

Effect of therapy with methylprednisolone on the size of myocardial infarcts in man.

The use of steroids to decrease the size of the infarct and the mortality in patients with acute myocardial infarction has long been the subject of controversy. In the present study, two large doses of methylprednisolone were administered intravenously to 14 patients with relatively uncomplicated myocardial infarction within 17 hours after the onset of symptoms, whereas a comparable group of 15 patients with myocardial infarction served as controls. The size of the infarct was assessed utilizing serial measurements of serum levels of creatine phosphokinase and its myocardial isoenzyme, the MB form of creatine phosphokinase. There was no significant difference between the two groups of patients with regard to peak cumulative levels of total creatine phosphokinase and the MB form of creatine phosphokinase. Similarly, there was no difference between the two groups in mortality or in the incidence of malignant ventricular arrhythmias, atrioventricular block, congestive heart failure, or extensions of the infarct. We conclude that high intravenous doses of steroids given early in the course of myocardial infarction have neither deleterious nor beneficial effects.

Adrenal Cortex Hormones↗

Radiofrequency-triggered pacemakers: uses and limitations. A long-term study.

Seven patients with either recurrent paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia (five), alternatinng bradycardiatachycardia (one), or ventricular tachycardia (one) underwent insertion of permanent radiofrequency-triggered pacemakers. Follow-up evaluation (36 +/- 24 months, mean +/- SD) revealed that arrhythmias were well controlled in five of seven patients, although three of the five required medication to decrease frequency of arrhythmias. Overdrive pacing was ineffective in one patient with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome who had recurrent bouts of atrial fibrillation or atrial flutter. One additional patient with ventricular tachycardia became refractory to overdrive atrial pacing. These studies document the long-term effectiveness of radiofrequency pacemakers in some patients with recurrent refractory arrhythmias. Careful patient selection and electrophysiologic studies are mandatory before implantation of a permanent radiofrequency pacemaker. Physicians must be aware of both the benefits and possible limitations of radiofrequency pacemakers in order to choose between pacemaker versus surgical intervention in patients with cardiac arrhythmias refractory to standard drug therapy.

Adult↗

Electrophysiologic testing in patients with sinus pauses and/or sinoatrial exit block.

28 symptomatic patients with documented episodes of sinus pauses and/or sinoatrial exit block underwent electrophysiologic study. Abnormal responses to electrophysiologic testing were observed in 23/28 patients (82%). Abnormal prolongation of the maximum sinus node recovery time (SNRT max) occurred in 17/28 (61%) patients, of postpacing cycles 2.10 (secondary pauses) occurred in 21/28 (75%), and of estimated sinoatrial conduction time occured in 15/28 (54%). The incidence of abnormal responses to rapid atrial pacing (prolonged SNRT max or secondary pauses) (22/28, 79%) was higher than the incidence of abnormal responses to premature atrial stimulation (15/28, 54%) (P less than 0.005). Life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias were observed, prior to electrophysiologic study, in 5 out of 28 (18%) patients. Symptomatic patients with sinus pauses and/or sinoatrial exit block frequently (23/28, 82%) showed abnormal responses to electrophysiologic testing and have a relatively high incidence of life-threatening arrhythmias.

Adult↗