Interactions among the critical factors affecting sinus node function: the quantitative effects of the duration and frequency of atrial pacing and of vagal and sympathetic stimulation upon overdrive suppression of the sinus node.

A multifactorial analysis was used in anesthetized dogs in order to characterize the effects of the duration of overdrive, the atrial pacing interval, and the frequencies of vagal and sympathetic stimulation on overdrive suppression of the sinus node. The sinus node recovery time (SNRT) and the summated effect (SE) over the first 20 cardiac cycles were measured with various combinations of the independent variables. We conclude that (1) both the rate and the duration of overdrive have significant effects on SNRT and SE; (2) vagal stimulation has greater effects on SNRT and SE than does the rate or duration of overdrive; (3) sympathetic stimulation had only a small effect on overdrive suppression; and (4) there were significant interactions between vagal stimulation and the duration of overdrive and between the duration and rate of overdrive, but not between sympathetic and vagal stimulation.