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Biomedical subjects

A Selwyn

Publications and source records attributed to A Selwyn.

9 recordsLinked to original sources

Detection of transient myocardial ischemia by computer analysis of standard and signal-averaged high-frequency electrocardiograms in patients undergoing percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty.

Electrocardiographic manifestations of transient myocardial ischemia were studied, in 11 patients undergoing angioplasty (PTCA) of a left anterior descending coronary artery stenosis, by the visual inspection of the standard surface electrocardiogram (S-ECG) and the intracoronary ECG (IC-ECG) as well as computer-assisted analysis of the S-ECG. Cross-correlation analysis (CCA) performed by computer was used to compare beat-to-beat variability in ST-T morphology of the S-ECG during different stages of PTCA. CCA was also applied to the signal-averaged high-frequency QRS (SA-HFQ). All patients developed angina during balloon inflation, accompanied by transient marked ST-T changes in IC-ECG in 10 of 11 patients (90%). Visual inspection of S-ECG revealed transient ST-T changes in only 6 of 11 (54%). In contrast, CCA of the S-ECG revealed transient ST-T changes in 9 of 11 (82%). Analysis of SA-HFQ revealed that balloon inflation was associated with a marked reduction in the calculated root-mean-square (RMS) voltage for such signals (2.31 +/- 1.04 microV) as compared with RMS values before (3.27 +/- 1.12 microV, p less than .05) PTCA or after conclusion of PTCA (3.79 +/- 1.39 microV, p less than .01). Balloon inflation was also accompanied by changes in waveform morphology of the SA-HFQ, including the development of new or more prominent time zones of reduced amplitude in 10 of 11 individuals (90%). Such zones may represent slow conduction in regions of the heart rendered ischemic during PTCA. CCA of the S-ECG and of SA-HFQ appears to detect evidence of transient ischemia with greater sensitivity than simple visual inspection of S-ECG, and may therefore prove to be of use in the evaluation of patients with chest pain of uncertain origin.

Adult

Precordial electrocardiographic mapping after exercise in the diagnosis of coronary artery disease.

A technique is described for recording the precordial electrocardiographic body surface map before and after exercise. The technique provides an extra dimension to the conventional exercise electrocardiogram because a measurement can be made of the area and severity of S-T segment changes that are projected onto the front of the chest. Sixteen lead isopotential surface maps were recorded before and after exercise in 109 patients with angina who subsequently underwent coronary arteriography. In addition, exercise electrocardiograms were obtained in 53 of these patients using three orthogonal leads and in all patients using a single chest unipolar chest lead. Precordial surface mapping after exercise was found to have a greater sensitivity (95 percent) than electrocardiography using either the orthogonal leads (68 percent) or a single chest lead (64 percent) (P less than 0.01). The specificity of the three techniques did not differ significantly (P greater than 0.05). The technique of precordial surface mapping after exercise improves the ability to diagnose coronary artery disease and can easily be applied to clinical practice.

Adult

Relation between the precordial projection of S-T segment changes after exercise and coronary angiographic findings.

The recent introduction of electrocardiographic mapping permits measurement of the precordial area and severity of exercise-induced S-T segment changes. This study was designed to compare this technique with a modified 12 lead electrocardiogram in defining the degree and site of coronary artery disease. One hundred patients, who later had diagnostic coronary arteriography, underwent an exercise test using both 16 point precordial mapping and a modified 12 lead electrocardiogram. The sensitivity of electrocardiographic mapping (96 percent) for the diagnosis of coronary artery disease was significantly greater than that of the modified 12 lead electrocardiogram (80 percent). However, the specificity of the two lead systems was similar. Typical precordial projections of S-T segment change were found when the left main stem or proximal left anterior descending coronary artery were narrowed or when there was isolated disease of the left anterior descending or right coronary artery. Widespread precordial changes were found in patients with three vessel disease. Although there was no significant difference in the sensitivity (66 percent) and specificity (100 percent) of electrocardiographic mapping and of the 12 lead system in identifying three vessel disease, there was a significant difference in sensitivity (electrocardiographic mapping 74 percent, 12 lead system 42 percent) in identifying isolated single vessel disease. In addition, information regarding the presence of left main stem or proximal left anterior descending coronary arterial narrowing was obtained only with electrocardiographic mapping. The superiority of electrocardiographic mapping over the modified 12 lead electrocardiogram has been shown, and clinical application of this technique should be useful in the management of patients presenting with chest pain.

Adult

Precordial exercise mapping: improved diagnosis of coronary artery disease.

Surface mapping of the exercise electrocardiogram (ECG) provides a measure of the precordial area, severity, and time course of ST-segment changes occurring after exercise. Sixteen-lead isopotential surface maps were recorded before and after exercise in 109 patients with probable angina who subsequently underwent coronary arteriography. In addition, exercise ECGs with three orthogonal leads were obtained in 53 of these patients, and with a single unipolar chest lead in all 109. Of the 109 patients, 85 had significant (greater than or equal to 70%) narrowing of at least one major coronary artery. The sensitivities of the precordial surface mapping, orthogonal leads, and single chest lead (V5) when compared with the findings at coronary arteriography were 95%, 68%, and 64% respectively, while the specificities of the three lead systems did not differ significantly. The technique of precordial surface mapping after exercise may easily be applied in clinical practice and requires only conventional equipment available in most hospitals. It effectively aids diagnosis of coronary artery disease.

Angiocardiography

Electrocardiographic signs in experimental myocardial ischemia and infarction.

Epicardial ECG signs have been studied in 26 anesthetized and thoracotomized dogs in an attempt to follow the progress of tissue damage during regional myocardial ischemia. Epicardial ECG's were recorded before and during 15 min, 1 and 5 h of severe left anterior descending coronary artery narrowing. Epicardial ST segment elevation followed a complicated natural history. An analysis of variance showed the significant effects of respiration, heart rate and changes in time during myocardial ischemia. Regional epicardial R waves showed a transient increase in amplitude following coronary narrowing. There was no loss of electrically active myocardium following 15 min of ischemia. Irreversible loss of R waves were noted at between 30 and 45 min and progressed to full development within 5 h following coronary artery narrowing. The loss of electrically active myocardium (R loss plus Q waves) at 5 h was closely related to the myocardial depletion of creatine kinase activity (mu/mg DNA-1) at 24 h in each dog. The early manifestation of myocardial ischemia (ST segment elevation at 17 min) was closely related in the later evidence of cell death (R loss plus Q waves) in each dog. These relationships were less precise when the results were combined and this showed the variability between dogs in heart size and infarct size. The study suggested that the individual complete natural history of these ECG signs must be studied before they can be used to assess the extent and progress of myocardial ischemia and cell death.

Animals

Flow through venous cannulae.

Fluid flow through modern cannulae is not simple and cannot be expressed in classical terms. Progressively increasing the length of a cannula diminishes flow predictably but altering the bore of the cannula does not give a fourth power improvement in flow but rather a linear one. A reasonable working value for the relative viscosity of ACD blood in infusions would seem to be 2-6 below about 125 ml/minute flow (saline). The decline in relative viscosity above this may be caused by turbulence in the saline flow.

Blood Flow Velocity

Plasma and cerebrospinal fluid concentrations of chlordiazepoxide and its metabolites in surgical patients.

Thirty otherwise healthy patients received a 100-mg oral dose of chlordiazepoxide HCl just prior to surgical procedures using spinal anesthesia. Fourteen of these patients had also received 100 mg on the night before surgery. Simultaneous samples of venous blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) were taken immediately prior to injection of spinal anesthesia and were assayed for concentrations of chlordiazepoxide (CDX) and its major metabolite, desmethylchlordiazepoxide. Plasma concentrations of CDX ranged from 2.32 to 13.34 mug/ml. Simultaneous CSF concentrations were considerably lower, ranging from 0.04 to 0.34 mug/ml. Equilibration of CDX between plasma and the lumbar sampling site appeared to be complete within 2 hr of the most recent dose. After attainment of distribution equilibrium, simultaneous plasma and CSF concentrations of CDX were hightly correlated (r = 0.76), with a mean CSF-plasma concentrations ratio of only 0.043 (range; 0.02 to 0.06). The limited passage of CDX into human CSF is probably due to extensive binding to plasma protein. Assuming that transfer of CDX from plasma to CSF is governed by passive diffusion, the extent of plasma protein binding of CDX in healthy individuals averages about 96%.

Adult