The Thermocross: a simple tool for rapid assessment of thermal sensation thresholds.

We have developed the Thermocross, a simple device for rapid assessment of thermal sensitivity, tested it on healthy subjects and diabetic patients and evaluated its use in identifying patients whose sensation loss may expose them to the risk of neuropathic foot injury. Thermal discrimination deteriorated with age (P less than 0.001) in healthy subjects, but all the controls could detect a temperature difference less than or equal to 10 degrees C.

Beat-to-beat detection of ventricular late potentials with high-resolution electrocardiography.

To detect dynamic changes of VLPs we developed a low-noise, HR-ECG with a gain of 10(5)-10(6)X. This system allows the beat-to-beat detection of low-amplitude signals at the bedside in a nonshielded room without any averaging process. Analysis was performed in 39 normal subjects (group A: 27 men, 12 women, mean age, 28 +/- 8 years), in 98 patients with coronary artery disease without documented sustained ventricular tachycardia (group B: 86 men, 12 women, mean age, 59 +/- 10 years) and in 41 patients coronary artery disease with sustained monomorphic ventricular tachycardia (group C: 36 men, 5 women; mean age 63 +/- 9 years).

Prognostic significance of ventricular late potentials in coronary artery disease.

By means of high-gain ECG and signal-averaging techniques, we tried to determine the prevalence and prognostic significance of ventricular late potentials (VLPs) in coronary artery disease (CAD). No VLPs were detected in normal subjects (n = 25) or in patients with various noncoronary cardiopathies with sustained ventricular tachycardia and/or fibrillation (VT/VF) (n = 10). Among 92 CAD patients, VLPs were apparent in 35% (32 of 92) at the beginning of the study.