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Biomedical subjects

F Alessandrini

Publications and source records attributed to F Alessandrini.

8 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1991

Surgical treatment of cardiac arrhythmias.

This report describes 20 consecutive patients who underwent surgical procedures for treatment of cardiac arrhythmias. 16 patients have been operated for WPW syndrome, always using the epicardial approach, without extracorporeal circulation. Three patients underwent surgery for atrio-ventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia, using a discrete perinodal cryotreatment, during normothermic extracorporeal circulation. In one case we used cryoablation of the atrial myocardium below the coronary sinus to treat atrial flutter. This operation was performed under normothermic extracorporeal circulation. In our observations, there was no early or late death; postoperative complications developed in 1 patient (5%) due to pericarditis. Ablation of the AP was completely successful in all the cases (100%) operated for WPW as well as for AVNRT syndromes and atrial flutter.

Arrhythmias, Cardiac↗
PubMed1991

Comparison between two versus three patches single pulse shock defibrillation in pigs.

The aim of the study was to test the hypothesis that defibrillation with a single pulse shock can be obtained at lower energy using three epicardial patches configuration (one cathode and two anodes) instead of the conventional two patches. The total surface area of the two- and three-patches configuration was the same (10 cm2 vs 9.9 cm2). Epicardial spatial configuration was planned by using a computerized heart model. In ten anesthetized open-chest pigs, ventricular fibrillation was induced by using AC current through the mesh plaque epicardial custom-designed electrodes, and the minimum energy requirement for defibrillation was determined 15 seconds after the onset of stable ventricular fibrillation. Results were as follows (mean +/- standard deviation): Defibrillation Threshold 16 +/- 9 J 9 +/- 5 J P less than 0.01 CONCLUSIONS: three epicardial patches configuration significantly reduces energy requirements for defibrillation compared with two patches when single pulse shock is used.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

[Right accessory pathway simulating a nodo-ventricular pathway: an electrophysiologic study and intraoperative mapping].

We report a case of a patient with episodes of wide QRS tachycardia and syncope. During the electrophysiologic study, a wide QRS tachycardia (200 b/m) with left bundle branch block morphology was reproducibly induced by incremental atrial pacing with progressive shortening of the HV interval and lengthening of the AV interval, suggesting the presence of a nodoventricular accessory pathway (Mahaim fiber). The intraoperative mapping performed during tachycardia showed the earliest ventricular activation to be over the right antero-lateral AV groove, different from the usual epicardial activation previously described. According to the earliest epicardial breakthrough point, we performed an epicardial AV fat pad dissection which produced irreversible disappearance of preexcitation, confirmed at the postoperative electrophysiologic study. No recurrence of tachycardia was observed during a follow-up of 11 months. This case further confirms previous data that the "so-called" Mahaim fibers could be a right accessory pathway with decremental properties.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Intravenous propafenone reduces energy requirements for defibrillation in pigs.

The effect of antiarrhythmic drugs on defibrillation threshold have become an important issue with the increasing use of the automatic implantable cardioverter defibrillator (AICD). In several reports antiarrhythmic therapy has been found to affect the energy required for defibrillation; the present study examined the effects of intravenous propafenone on defibrillation threshold in open chest, anesthetized pigs. Twenty health pigs were studied; 10 pigs free from any drugs (Group 1) and 10 pigs after a constant iv infusion of 0.04 mg/kg/min of propafenone (Group 2). Defibrillation threshold was 21 +/- 5, 20 +/- 5, 21 +/- 6, 19 +/- 4 and 19 +/- 6 J in Group 1 and 20 +/- 7, 18 +/- 9, 15 +/- 5, 14 +/- 7, 9 +/- 6 J in Group 2, respectively at 20, 40, 60, 80 min (p value respectively NS, NS, less than 0.05, less than 0.01, less than 0.001). We conclude that intravenous propafenone reduces the energy requirements for defibrillation in experimental animals.

Animals↗