Effect of sotalol and acute ventricular dilatation on action potential duration and dispersion of repolarization after defibrillation shocks.

Ventricular dilatation shortens action potential duration and increases the defibrillation threshold, whereas sotalol prolongs action potential duration and may decrease the defibrillation threshold. Whether these action potential changes remain after defibrillation shocks, and how they relate to defibrillation success, is not known. In this study, eight monophasic action potentials were recorded simultaneously during electrical defibrillation (shock strength: 20%-200% of the defibrillation threshold) in 16 normal and acutely dilated isolated rabbit hearts at baseline and after addition of sotalol (2 x 10-5 M). Post-shock action potential duration (PS-APD) and dispersion of PS-APD [Disp(PS-APD)] of monophasic action potentials were analyzed after 322 defibrillation shocks at different repolarization levels and related to defibrillation success. Acute ventricular dilatation shortened PS-APD, whereas sotalol prolonged PS-APD. Successful defibrillation was associated with lower Disp(PS-APD) at all repolarization levels in the normal and dilated heart at baseline and with sotalol (mean difference: 33%-46%, all P < 0.005). Minimal PS-APD was longer (mean difference: 5%-11%), while maximal PS-APD was shorter (mean difference: 2%-16%) after successful defibrillation shocks than after failing defibrillation shocks. Therefore, sotalol prolongs action potential duration after defibrillation shocks. Synchronization of repolarization, caused by both prolongation of short PS-APD and shortening of long PS-APD, is associated with successful defibrillation in the normal, acutely dilated, and sotalol-treated heart.