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Biomedical subjects

M M Scheinman

Publications and source records attributed to M M Scheinman.

At least 127 records · Page 7Linked to original sources

Histopathology of monopolar transcatheter radiofrequency ablation at the mitral valve annulus.

Although monopolar radiofrequency (RF) catheter ablation is being used to interrupt left-sided accessory pathways in patients with tachyarrhythmia, little is known of the histologic effects from this method of treatment. RF ablation at the mitral valve (MV) annulus was performed in ten dogs to examine the histology of the lesion area. A custom 6 French ablation catheter with a 4 mm distal electrode was positioned beneath the MV adjacent to the annulus. Mean preablation atrial to ventricular electrogram ratio (A/V ratio) was 0.26 +/- 0.17. Thirty +/- 1 watts of RF power were applied for 53 +/- 13 seconds between the distal electrode and a large skin electrode. Nine dogs were sacrificed 6 weeks and one dog 2 days following ablation. Annular lesions were seen in eight of the ten dogs. Lesion volume was 136 +/- 41 mm3 and correlated with the A/V ratio (r2 = 0.74, P = 0.006). Lesions consisted of necrosis of the left ventricle with extension into the atrioventricular groove and left atrium. No injury to the coronary sinus or circumflex artery was observed. A small area of injury was noticed on the mitral leaflet in one dog. Monopolar RF ablation creates lesions at the MV annulus without injury to adjacent vascular structures.

Animals↗

Implantable cardioverter defibrillator proarrhythmia: case report and review of the literature.

A 31-year-old man who received an automatic cardioverter defibrillator subsequently underwent exercise testing. During exercise, a sinus tachycardia resulted above his device detect rate prompting two shocks, the second of which produced an unstable polymorphous ventricular tachycardia. In this article, we review the literature on automatic cardioverter defibrillator-induced ventricular tachyarrhythmias as well as the management of exercise testing in patients with these devices.

Adult↗

MCL1 and MCL6 compared to V1 and V6 in distinguishing aberrant supraventricular from ventricular ectopic beats.

Use of V1 and V6 has been suggested for distinguishing aberrant supraventricular from ventricular ectopy. For two decades, "modified" leads MCL1 and MCL6 have been widely used as V1 and V6 substitutes for bedside monitoring, but their use has never been validated. To determine the value of MCL1 and MCL6, 81 morphologically distinct wide QRS ectopic beats were recorded from 46 patients during cardiac electrophysiological study. As determined by the His-bundle electrogram, 31 of the ectopics were aberrant supraventricular, 50 were ventricular. A new criterion, measurement of QRS onset to the predominant peak or nadir of the complex, was valuable in diagnosing wide complexes in MCL6 and V6. An interval of 50 msec or less predicted aberrant supraventricular ectopy; an interval of 70 msec or more predicted ventricular ectopy. There was agreement between the modified and conventional precordial leads regarding which QRS patterns were useful in distinguishing aberrant supraventricular from ventricular ectopy. A greater proportion of wide complexes in MCL1 and V1 exhibited patterns useful in making the diagnosis compared to MCL6 and V6. Using well-established criteria, the proportion of correct diagnoses that was made from individual leads was: MCL1 = 86%, V1 = 85%, MCL6 = 72%, V6 = 67%. The bedside leads (MCL1 and MCL6) were not statistically different in diagnostic accuracy from their conventional lead counterparts (V1 and V6); however, MCL1 and V1 were superior to MCL6 and V6. When the new criterion was added to make the diagnosis from MCL6 and V6, no difference in diagnostic accuracy was present between the four leads.

Bundle-Branch Block↗

Radiofrequency catheter ablation for Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome associated with a coronary sinus diverticulum.

The case of a patient with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome undergoing attempted radiofrequency catheter ablation of a left posterior paraseptal accessory pathway is described. Coronary sinus venography revealed the presence of a large diverticulum attaching near the os. The electrogram recorded from a catheter placed in the narrow neck of the diverticulum revealed a very short atrioventricular time during sinus rhythm. The pathway was easily ablated using radiofrequency energy applied in the neck of the diverticulum, after multiple failed attempts at catheter ablation from the endocardial surface of the mitral annulus. Our report emphasizes the importance of searching for a coronary sinus diverticulum in all patients with posterior accessory pathways undergoing catheter ablation.

Adult↗

Phase image triangulation of accessory pathways in patients undergoing catheter ablation of posteroseptal pathways.

The outcome of posteroseptal accessory pathway ablation by direct current (DC) shocks delivered just outside the os of the coronary sinus was studied in 21 patients. Electrocardiographic and electrophysiological parameters as well as phase image patterns of equilibrium multiple-gated blood-pool scintigrams were studied to determine their usefulness in predicting the success of ablation. A second free-wall pathway was documented by electrophysiological or surgical findings in six patients, and the value of phase images in detecting this second pathway was studied as well. Ablation was successful in 57%. The cumulative mean energy of DC shocks amounted to 524 +/- 170 joules and was not predictive of ablation outcome, neither was the mean ventriculoatrial (VA) conduction time. The predictive value of the 12-lead maximally preexcited electrocardiogram was poor in the 15 patients with a single posteroseptal bypass tract. A new method to triangulate the site of the earliest phase angle on the atrioventricular (AV) valve plane successfully localized the bypass pathway in 14 of those patients. No specific phase pattern predicted successful ablation except for a symmetrical, concentric peripheral phase progression found to be predictive of ablation success in the four patients who showed this pattern. Phase analysis was able to localize the second, nonposteroseptal pathway in four of six patients. This study showed that a concentric peripheral phase progression in the gated blood-pool scintigrams is predictive for ablation success in patients with posteroseptal pathways. A free-wall localization of the earliest phase angle is suggestive of a second bypass tract in this area.

Adolescent↗

Catheter modification of the atrioventricular junction with radiofrequency energy for control of atrioventricular nodal reentry tachycardia.

BACKGROUND: The utility of transcatheter application of radiofrequency energy to eliminate atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia (AVNRT) was investigated. METHODS AND RESULTS: Thirty-nine patients (mean age, 53 +/- 20 years; range 14-86 years) with medically refractory AVNRT underwent perinodal ablation with radiofrequency energy. A custom-designed 6F catheter with a large (3-mm-long) distal electrode and interelectrode pacing of 2 mm was used in the majority of cases. The catheter used for ablation was initially positioned across the tricuspid anulus to obtain the largest His bundle electrogram, then withdrawn to obtain the largest atrial:ventricular electrogram ratio, with a small His bundle electrogram (less than or equal to 100 microV). Each application of radiofrequency energy (350-550 kHz, 16.2 +/- 5.2 W) was stopped after 60 seconds or if PR prolongation or an impedance rise was noted. The endpoints of the procedure were persistent modification of atrioventricular nodal conduction (either first-degree atrioventricular block or impairment of ventriculoatrial conduction) and noninducibility of AVNRT before and during isoproterenol administration. Radiofrequency energy was applied a mean of 6.8 +/- 3.5 times per session. After a mean follow-up of 8 +/- 3.0 months, 32 of the 39 patients (82%) have been free of AVNRT, and did not have high grade AV block. Three patients (8%) developed complete atrioventricular block and had pacemakers implanted. Two patients had unsuccessful initial procedures, and two patients had initially successful ablations but had recurrences of tachycardia 4-6 weeks later. Elimination of AVNRT appeared to be due to effects on the retrograde fast pathway in most patients. CONCLUSIONS: Radiofrequency ablation of the perinodal right atrium appears to be safe and effective for treatment of typical AVNRT:

Atrioventricular Node↗

Current role of catheter ablative procedures in patients with cardiac arrhythmias. A report for health professionals from the Subcommittee on Electrocardiography and Electrophysiology, American Heart Association.

Catheter ablative techniques have assumed an increasingly important role in the treatment of patients with drug-refractory cardiac arrhythmias. Catheter ablation of the AV junction is considered the procedure of choice for management of patients without bypass tracts with drug-resistant supraventricular arrhythmias. Catheter techniques have been used with increasing frequency in attempts to ablate accessory AV tracts. These techniques currently appear to be less effective than surgical techniques but involve less morbidity and expense. In some centers, accessory pathway ablation using catheter techniques is the procedure of first choice in selected patients with drug-refractory tachycardia mediated by an accessory pathway. Catheter ablation of ventricular tachycardia should be reserved for patients with mappable ventricular tachycardia who are not candidates for cardiac electrosurgery or insertion of an automatic defibrillator. The development of more flexible catheters and more manageable energy delivery systems holds promise for more effective catheter techniques.

Arrhythmias, Cardiac↗

Predictors of in-hospital mortality after DC catheter ablation of atrioventricular junction. Results of a prospective, international, multicenter study.

BACKGROUND: The Catheter Ablation Registry was the first international, multicenter, prospective study of the safety and efficacy of catheter ablation. METHODS AND RESULTS: From August 1987 through March 1990, the study comprised 136 patients in whom only DC energy was used in attempted production of third-degree atrioventricular block to treat uncontrollable supraventricular tachycardias. Eight patients died during hospitalization for ablation. In seven (5.1%), the ablation may have contributed to their deaths. Causes of death included ventricular fibrillation (five patients, three with polymorphic ventricular tachycardia), progressive heart failure (one patient), and respiratory failure (two patients, one dying after resuscitation from ventricular fibrillation). Compared with survivors, patients who died were more likely to have had prior aborted sudden death (38% versus 2%, p less than 0.05), congestive heart failure (88% versus 22%, p less than 0.001), cardiomyopathy (50% versus 16%, p less than 0.05), lower baseline systolic blood pressure (106 versus 138 mm Hg, p less than 0.001), prolonged baseline and postablation corrected QT interval (p less than 0.01), and markedly reduced ejection fraction (27% versus 52%, p less than 0.001). Ablation successfully produced third-degree atrioventricular block in 88% of the patients who died and in 83% of survivors. CONCLUSIONS: Catheter ablation of the atrioventricular junction with DC energy carries a significant, previously unrecognized risk of death (5.1%), particularly from lethal arrhythmias, when applied to patients with severe left ventricular dysfunction. Great care should be taken in these seriously ill patients to guard against postablation ventricular arrhythmias.

Bundle of His↗

Ventricular tachycardia with congenital ventricular diverticulum.

A 24-year-old man presented with symptomatic, recurrent, sustained ventricular tachycardia (VT). He was found to have a basal inferior left ventricular diverticulum. His sustained VT was reproduced by programmed electrical stimulation and was unresponsive to procainamide, tocainide, propafenone, and flecainide. Endocardial mapping followed by resection and cryoablative surgery was performed. The patient had only one recurrence after 18 months, with subsequent control with procainamide for over 14 months.

Adult↗

Inefficacy and proarrhythmic effects of flecainide and encainide for sustained ventricular tachycardia and ventricular fibrillation.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the efficacy of encainide and flecainide in treating patients with sustained ventricular arrhythmias. DESIGN: Patients were treated with encainide or flecainide. Efficacy was assessed by comparing the results of programmed ventricular stimulation while patients received therapy with the results while they were drug free. SETTING: The electrophysiology laboratory of the University of California at San Francisco. PATIENTS: Forty-nine patients with spontaneous or inducible sustained ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation for whom treatment with at least one class IA antiarrhythmic agent had failed. INTERVENTIONS: Patients were treated with encainide, 35 to 50 mg three or four times daily, or flecainide, 100 to 200 mg twice daily. RESULTS: Arrhythmia worsened early in 5 of 16 patients receiving encainide and 3 of 33 patients receiving flecainide. Patients with poor left ventricular function were more likely to exhibit proarrhythmia (P = 0.02). Nine of eleven patients receiving encainide and 23 of 28 patients receiving flecainide who had repeat programmed ventricular stimulation while receiving drug therapy still had inducible, poorly tolerated ventricular tachycardia. CONCLUSION: Encainide and flecainide have a low efficacy rate and a high incidence of worsening of arrhythmia in patients with sustained ventricular arrhythmias, particularly when this condition is associated with poor left ventricular function.

Adult↗

Adenosine for paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia: dose ranging and comparison with verapamil. Assessment in placebo-controlled, multicenter trials. The Adenosine for PSVT Study Group.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the safety and efficacy of intravenous adenosine in terminating acute episodes of paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia. DESIGN: Two prospective, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trials to evaluate dose response in patients receiving adenosine and to compare the effects of adenosine with those of verapamil. PATIENTS: A total of 359 patients with a tachycardia electrocardiographically consistent with paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia were entered into the two protocols. Patients subsequently found to have arrhythmias other than paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia were excluded from the efficacy analysis. INTERVENTIONS: The first protocol compared sequential intravenous bolus doses of 3, 6, 9, and 12 mg of adenosine to equal volumes of saline. In the second protocol, patients received either 6 mg and, if necessary, 12 mg of adenosine or 5 mg and, if necessary, 7.5 mg of verapamil. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: When data are expressed in terms of cumulative response in eligible patients, intravenous adenosine terminated acute episodes of paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia in 35.2%, 62.3%, 80.2%, and 91.4% of patients who received maximum doses of 3, 6, 9, and 12 mg, respectively, in a four-dose sequence, whereas 8.9%, 10.7%, 14.3%, and 16.1% of patients responded to four sequential placebo doses (P less than 0.0001). In the second trial, cumulative response rates after 6 mg followed, if necessary, by 12 mg of adenosine were 57.4% and 93.4%, and after 5 mg followed, if necessary, by 7.5 mg of verapamil were 81.3% and 91.4%. The average time after injection to termination of tachycardia by adenosine was 30 seconds. Adenosine caused adverse effects in 36% of patients, but they lasted less than 1 minute and were usually mild. CONCLUSIONS: Adenosine in graded doses up to 12 mg rapidly and effectively terminates acute episodes of paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia in which the atrioventricular node is an integral part of the re-entrant circuit. The overall efficacy of adenosine is similar to that of verapamil, but its onset of action is more rapid. Adverse reactions to adenosine are common but are minor and brief.

Acute Disease↗

Electrophysiologic effects of isoproterenol in patients with atrioventricular reentrant tachycardia treated with flecainide.

UNLABELLED: The electrophysiologic effects of isoproterenol in patients treated with flecainide for atrioventricular (AV) reentrant tachycardia were studied to evaluate the mechanism of tachycardia inducibility after isoproterenol and the value of isoproterenol challenge as a predictor of spontaneous arrhythmia recurrence. Seventeen patients underwent electrophysiologic study before and after oral flecainide administration and after the addition of isoproterenol to flecainide. No patient had inducible sustained supraventricular tachycardia after flecainide alone. Two patients had inducible sustained and six had inducible nonsustained tachycardia after isoproterenol was added to flecainide. The patients were then followed up on the same flecainide dose they received at the time of the electrophysiologic study. FINDINGS: 1) Flecainide treatment prolonged HV and VA intervals, and the addition of isoproterenol did not affect these variables. 2) Isoproterenol shortened anterograde and retrograde block cycle length and the refractory period of the accessory pathway and the AV node. It also decreased the tachycardia cycle length, an effect that was due solely to shortening of AV node conduction time. 3) Flecainide treatment prevented tachycardia induction by affecting retrograde conduction over the accessory pathway. Isoproterenol allowed for tachycardia induction and for more sustained episodes of tachycardia by reversing the effect of flecainide on retrograde accessory pathway conduction. 4) Tachycardia recurred during follow-up in all three patients in whom tachycardia of greater than or equal to 10 s duration was induced after isoproterenol but in no patient who had no or shorter episodes of induced tachycardia (and who did not have a change in medical regimen). CONCLUSIONS: 1) Isoproterenol reverses flecainide-induced prolongation of block cycle length and refractory periods of the accessory pathway and AV node. 2) Isoproterenol reverses flecainide-induced prevention of tachycardia induction through reversal of the effects of flecainide on the retrograde accessory pathway. 3) The addition of isoproterenol during flecainide restudy is valuable in predicting long-term drug efficacy.

Cardiac Pacing, Artificial↗

Long-term follow-up of patients after transcatheter direct current ablation of the atrioventricular junction.

The long-term follow-up study (41 +/- 23 months) of 47 patients undergoing direct current ablation because of drug-resistant supraventricular arrhythmias is reported. Significant early complications occurred in four patients and included hypotension, pericarditis, nonsustained polymorphic ventricular tachycardia and one sudden death. In 42 patients (86%), complete atrioventricular (AV) block was initially achieved. During the follow-up period, AV conduction resumed in 2 of these 42 patients. Of the seven patients in whom ablation was unsuccessful, two developed late complete AV block and three had symptomatic improvement. An improved activity level was reported among 83% of the patients with successful ablation. Health care utilization manifest as the number of hospital admissions per year before and after ablation decreased significantly after ablation (2.4 +/- 2.0 versus 0.3 +/- 0.5, p less than 0.001). Echocardiographic evaluation in five patients with a depressed left ventricular ejection fraction (27 +/- 7%) before ablation showed a significant increase (45 +/- 14%, p less than 0.05) after an average follow-up period of 31 months. New onset of congestive heart failure occurred after ablation in four patients, of whom two had no structural heart disease. The total mortality rate, including the one patient with sudden death, was 17% and was significantly higher among patients with underlying structural heart disease. Transcatheter direct current ablation is an effective treatment in patients with drug-resistant supraventricular tachycardia, providing a beneficial long-term outcome including an improved quality of life and a decrease in health care utilization.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗

Effects of multipolar electrode radiofrequency energy delivery on ventricular endocardium.

This study examined the effects of radiofrequency energy applied in a bipolar fashion with single as compared with multiple sequential applications at the canine endocardium. In this closed-chest model, radiofrequency energy (750 kHz) was delivered between two adjacent poles of an electrode catheter. Single applications were performed at distinct sites in the left (n = 30) and right ventricles (n = 29) of 13 normal dogs. A multiple sequential technique, which enlarges the ablated endocardial surface, was applied in the left (n = 13) and right ventricles (n = 4) of seven normal dogs and six dogs with remote myocardial infarction. Single applications (199 +/- 200 joules) resulted in lesions with a volume of 0.12 +/- 0.06 cm3 (range 0.03 to 0.31 cm3) and an endocardial surface area of 0.29 +/- 0.15 cm2 (range 0.06 to 0.63 cm2). Changes at the catheter/tissue interface led to a rise in impedance, restricting further enlargement of the necrosis. Sequential delivery of radiofrequency energy between poles 1 and 2, 2 and 3, and 3 and 4 of a quadripolar electrode catheter repeated 9 to 11 times in slightly different positions allowed a cumulative energy of 6571 +/- 3857 joules to be applied to the endocardium, resulting in a lesion volume of 0.84 +/- 0.38 cm3, with an endocardial lesion surface area of 3.7 +/- 1.2 cm2 (range 2.9 to 5.1 cm2). Histologically, all radiofrequency lesions were restricted to the endocardium/subendocardium with a small border zone of injury. Aggressive stimulation techniques did not induce ventricular tachycardia in any of the dogs before and 19 +/- 11.4 days after multiple sequential ablations.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗

A new single catheter technique for simultaneous measurement of action potential duration and refractory period in vivo.

In vivo correlations of action potential duration measured by a monophasic action potential catheter and effective refractory period measured by a separate pacing catheter have been poor, probably because of the known variability of both action potential duration and effective refractory period between different ventricular sites. In this study, a new quadripolar contact electrode catheter designed for simultaneous pacing and monophasic action potential recording at closely adjacent sites (2 mm separation between recording electrodes and pacing electrodes) was tested in five closed chest dogs and four patients. Dog studies: Pacing thresholds were extremely low, ranging from 0.02 to 0.25 mA (mean +/- SD 0.099 +/- 0.051, n = 36) and were stable over time (less than 20% increase during 1 h of continuous pacing). Because of the close proximity of pacing and recording electrodes, the pacing artifact nearly coincided with the monophasic action potential upstroke. Because of the low pacing threshold, however, pacing artifacts were small (33 +/- 17% of the monophasic action potential amplitude at twice diastolic threshold strength) and did not affect the duration or configuration of the simultaneously recorded monophasic action potential. The short stimulus response time and the undisturbed monophasic action potential signal fidelity during pacing allowed precise simultaneous measurements of action potential duration and effective refractory period at the same endocardial site.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Action Potentials↗

Persistent functional atrioventricular block in two patients with prolonged QT intervals: elucidation of the mechanism of block.

This article describes two infants with prolonged QT interval and intermittent second-degree atrioventricular block. An asymptomatic 14-month-old child with persistent 2:1 atrioventricular conduction since birth underwent electrophysiology study including measurements with a contact monophasic action potential catheter. During 2:1 conduction, atrioventricular block occurred distal to the site of the His-bundle recording. Monophasic action potential duration was closely related to prior RR intervals. Single premature atrial or ventricular depolarizations during 1:1 conduction followed by a pause, lead to monophasic action potential prolongation and subsequent 2:1 atrioventricular conduction, which was perpetuated by the resulting long RR intervals. Paired premature ventricular contractions or short bursts of ventricular pacing elicited monophasic action potential shortening and subsequent 1:1 atrioventricular conduction that was perpetuated by the resulting short RR intervals. A second infant presented at birth with a prolonged QT interval, ventricular tachycardia, and episodes of second-degree atrioventricular block with persistent 2:1 atrioventricular conduction. The atrioventricular block was repeatedly elicited by single premature ventricular contractions and terminated by ventricular couplets. We conclude that the atrioventricular block in both patients is functional in nature and results from the interrelationships between ventricular rate, action potential duration, and His-Purkinje system refractoriness.

Action Potentials↗