UNLABELLED: In 200 consecutive patients with acute myocardial infarction combined medical-mechanical recanalization was attempted. Coronary angiography revealed an occluded vessel in 150 patients. This vessel could be opened in 127 patients. There were 112 men and 15 women, aged 32 to 72 years (mean age 61.2 years); 60 patients had an anterior and 67 patients presented with an inferior myocardial infarction. 103 from 127 patients presented with arrhythmias during the ischemic phase and 112 from 127 patients during the reperfusion phase. The following arrhythmias had a significantly higher incidence in the reperfusion phase compared to the ischemic phase: sinus bradycardia (29 pts. - 22.8% - vs. 15 pts. - 11.8%; p less than 0.05), ventricular bigeminy (28 pts. - 29.9% - vs. 5 pts. - 3.9%; p less than 0.01), ventricular couplets (34 pts. - 26.8% - vs. 20 pts. - 15.7%; p less than 0.05) and accelerated idioventricular rhythm (32 pts. - 25.2% - vs. 5 pts. - 3.9%; p less than 0.01). Ventricular fibrillation occurred during the ischemic phase in 9 patients and during the reperfusion phase in 7 patients (n.s.). None of the patients presented with sustained ventricular tachycardia, neither in the ischemic, nor in the reperfusion phase. CONCLUSIONS: The following rhythm disturbances can be called reperfusion arrhythmias: sinus bradycardia, ventricular bigeminy, ventricular couplets and accelerated idioventricular rhythm. The observed reperfusion arrhythmias were short-living and did not need special therapeutic measures.
UNLABELLED: In 200 consecutive patients with acute myocardial infarction combined medical-mechanical recanalization was attempted. Coronary angiography revealed an occluded vessel in 150 patients. This vessel could be opened in 127 patients. There were 112 men and 15 women, aged 32 to 72 years (mean age 61.2 years); 60 patients had an anterior and 67 patients presented with an inferior myocardial infarction. 103 from 127 patients presented with arrhythmias during the ischemic phase and 112 from 127 patients during the reperfusion phase. The following arrhythmias had a significantly higher incidence in the reperfusion phase compared to the ischemic phase: sinus bradycardia (29 pts. - 22.8% - vs. 15 pts. - 11.8%; p less than 0.05), ventricular bigeminy (28 pts. - 29.9% - vs. 5 pts. - 3.9%; p less than 0.01), ventricular couplets (34 pts. - 26.8% - vs. 20 pts. - 15.7%; p less than 0.05) and accelerated idioventricular rhythm (32 pts. - 25.2% - vs. 5 pts. - 3.9%; p less than 0.01). Ventricular fibrillation occurred during the ischemic phase in 9 patients and during the reperfusion phase in 7 patients (n.s.). None of the patients presented with sustained ventricular tachycardia, neither in the ischemic, nor in the reperfusion phase. CONCLUSIONS: The following rhythm disturbances can be called reperfusion arrhythmias: sinus bradycardia, ventricular bigeminy, ventricular couplets and accelerated idioventricular rhythm. The observed reperfusion arrhythmias were short-living and did not need special therapeutic measures.
Authors: Hendrik Bonnemeier; Jasmin Ortak; Uwe K H Wiegand; Frank Eberhardt; Frank Bode; Heribert Schunkert; Hugo A Katus; Gert Richardt Journal: Ann Noninvasive Electrocardiol Date: 2005-04 Impact factor: 1.468