Catheter ablation of ventricular tachycardia using defibrillator pulses: electrophysiological findings and long-term results.

Catheter ablation of ventricular tachycardia (VT) was attempted in 24 patients (mean age 49 +/- 15.1 years) with a history of recurrent sustained VT resistant to previous antiarrhythmic drug therapy. 14 patients (58.

Bidirectional transvenous/subcutaneous defibrillation of ventricular fibrillation in dogs: success rates, energy requirements, currents, voltages and impedance.

Four hundred and thirteen defibrillations of alternating current-induced ventricular fibrillation were performed in 10 halothane-anaesthetized dogs (body weight: 24.5-30.5 kg).

Influence of the cycle length of basic drive on induction of sustained ventricular tachycardia associated with coronary artery disease.

The relation between the cycle length of basic drive during programmed ventricular stimulation and the coupling intervals at which sustained monomorphic ventricular tachycardia (VT) was initiated was analyzed in patients with coronary artery disease and documented sustained VT. The study included 28 patients in whom hemodynamically tolerable, monomorphic sustained VT was inducible at different cycle lengths of basic drive during the same electrophysiologic study. The stimulation protocol included single or double premature stimuli during paced ventricular rhythms at different cycle lengths of basic drive.

[Possibilities and limitations of catheter ablation of tachycardia arrhythmia].

Catheter ablation has become an alternative to other non-pharmacological forms of antiarrhythmic therapy. Since supraventricular arrhythmias were first treated by ablation of the AV-conduction system, the clinical use of the technique has recently been extended to treat accessory pathways or ventricular tachycardias. The results of experiences from a number of clinical centers are available.

High frequency alternating current ablation of an accessory pathway in humans.

High frequency alternating current ablation of an accessory pathway was performed in a patient with incessant circus movement tachycardia using a right-sided, free wall accessory pathway. Antiarrhythmic drugs, antitachycardia pacing and transvenous catheter ablation using high energy direct current shocks could not control the supraventricular tachycardia. A 7F bipolar electrode catheter with an interelectrode distance of 1.

[Initial experiences with high-frequency electric ablation of the AV conduction system in the human].

For the first time, radiofrequency alternating current ablation of the AV-conduction system was performed in a 49-year-old female patient with recurrent atrial tachycardia with fast atrioventricular conduction, refractory to medical therapy, and two conventional DC-shock catheter ablation procedures. Without underlying cardiac disease, the patient had experienced almost daily episodes of tachycardia with a total of 10 syncopes. An electrophysiological study had revealed an ectopic right-atrial tachycardia and fast AV conduction up to a rate of more than 180 bpm.

Bacteriological assistance for optimal antibiotic therapy of endocarditis.

The specific anatomical changes of the infected valvular tissue demand the best bactericidal antibiotic therapy of endocarditis. However, quantitative antibiotic sensitivity testing and determination of the bactericidal effectiveness is not sufficiently routinely practised. It is presented how appropriate bacteriological assistance to achieve the optimum antibiotic therapy for endocarditis leads to favourable clinical results.

Central hemodynamics at rest and during exercise after mitral valve replacement with different prostheses.

To compare the hemodynamic features of different prosthetic heart valves that have equal tissue anulus diameter (29 mm or comparable), 75 patients with isolated mitral valve replacement (19 with Björk-Shiley Standard [BS], five with Hall-Kaster [HK], seven with Ionescu-Shiley [IS], 12 with Lillehei-Kaster [LK], 12 with Starr-Edwards [type 6120, SE], and 20 with St. Jude Medical [SJ] prostheses) were reexamined approximately 1 year after operation by right and left heart catheterization while they were at rest and during bicycle exercise. Mean pulmonary artery and mean left atrial pressure were reduced significantly in all the groups postoperatively.

[Late complications following Björk-Shiley and St. Jude Medical heart valve replacement].

Valve-related complications after Björk-Shiley mitral (n = 475), aortic (n = 424), or mitral-aortic implantation (n = 119) were compared to complications after St. Jude mitral (n = 173), aortic (n = 152), and St. Jude mitral and aortic (n = 63) replacements.

[Effect of valve type and valve function on chronic intravascular hemolysis after alloprosthetic mitral and aortic valve replacement].

In 1091 patients with isolated Björk-Shiley, Lillehei-Kaster, Starr-Edwards, and St. Jude Medical mitral and aortic valve replacement, hemolysis parameters were determined (hemoglobin, LDH, haptoglobin, free plasma hemoglobin, reticulocyte count, serum bilirubin, transferrin, urine hemosiderin, schistocyte count). In 1006 of these patients no valve dysfunction was detected, while in 85 patients either paravalvular leakage or a thrombosis of the prosthetic valve was present.