[Association of an epsilon wave and syncope].

Background: Epsilon waves, rarely observed in clinical practice, result from late potentials favoring the development of ventricular rhythm disorders by reentry.

Case Report: A 53-year-old man with sequellar myocardial infarction experienced a syncope. The surface ECG recorded an epsilon wave.

[Combination of celiprolol and amiodarone in the treatment of recurrent ventricular tachycardia].

The combination of beta-blockers and amiodarone has been shown to be affective in the treatment of refractory chronic ventricular tachycardia. However, the possible induction of excessive sinus bradycardia can constitute a limitation to the use of this treatment. Celiprolol is a cardioselective beta-blocker with a partial beta-2 agonist activity and an alpha-2 blocking activity, with a minimal depressant effect on heart rate.

[Ventricular tachycardia in a patient with rate-responsive cardiac pacemaker].

The authors report a case of syncopal ventricular tachycardia in a patient with a respiratory-dependent rate responsive pacemaker, followed-up for valvular heart disease with severe left ventricular dysfunction and sustained atrial and ventricular arrhythmias. The introduction of low dose betablocker therapy with reinforcement of the treatment of cardiac failure controlled the ventricular arrhythmia, after suppression of the data responsive function had been shown to be ineffective. The authors discuss the role of the rate responsive function in the triggering of the ventricular tachycardias.

[Mitral valvuloplasty during the 4th month of pregnancy. Fetal protection with a lead mantle].

A 27 year old woman who had undergone closed heart surgical commissurotomy 10 years previously, underwent percutaneous mitral valvuloplasty during the fourth month of her pregnancy. Despite significant valvular thickening with calcification, the balloon dilatation led to an increase in valve surface area from 1.1 to 2 cm2 with no complications and with relief of the pulmonary hypertension.

[Evaluation of the response to the ajmaline test in the diagnosis of paroxysmal atrioventricular blocks].

Between October 1973 and December 1981, 31 symptomatic patients who underwent pacemaker therapy on the results of a positive Ajmaline test alone, showing infrahisian AV block, were followed up clinically and electrocardiographically. The mean follow up from the date of implantation was 30 months. Two groups of patients were identified according to the results of electrophysiological investigations and clinical and electrocardiographic follow-up: --group I: 13 patients with either infrahisian AV block or an HV interval greater than or equal to 120 ms after Ajmaline; --group II: 18 patients with an HV interval less than 120 ms after Ajmaline.