Therapy of Sustained Ventricular Arrhythmias With Amiodarone: Prediction of Efficacy With Serial Electrophysiologic Studies.

BACKGROUND: Programmed electrical stimulation early during amiodarone therapy has poor prognostic capabilities; and persistent inducibility has been associated with a favorable outcome in a majority of patients. These observations result from studies that differed significantly in methodology. METHODS AND RESULTS: The authors prospectively enrolled 121 patients in a standardized amiodarone dosing protocol in which amiodarone was the only antiarrhythmic agent.

Postshock sensing performance in transvenous defibrillation lead systems: analysis of detection and redetection of ventricular fibrillation.

Introduction: The sensing performance of transvenous lead systems may be adversely affected by the delivery of high-energy shocks. This may be due to the proximity of the sensing and energy-delivery electrodes on transvenous leads.

Methods And Results: The time required for detection of ventricular fibrillation and redetection after a failed first shock was compared in 93 patients with five different lead system-pulse generator combinations: Cadence--Endotak 60 series, Ventak P--Endotak 60 series, Jewel--Transvene, Cadence--TVL, and Cadence--Transvene.

Simultaneous assessment of myocardial perfusion and left ventricular function during transient coronary occlusion.

Objectives: We used technetium-99m sestamibi imaging to evaluate the magnitude of changes in left ventricular function and perfusion and to investigate their interdependence during transient coronary occlusion.

Background: Transient coronary occlusion during coronary angioplasty provides a unique opportunity for examining the effects of acute myocardial ischemia on left ventricular function and perfusion.

Methods: Thirty-five patients with normal left ventricular function underwent first-pass radionuclide angiography with technetium-99m sestamibi using a multicrystal gamma camera during balloon occlusion of a coronary artery.