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S W Halpern

Publications and source records attributed to S W Halpern.

5 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1981

Application of information theory to clinical diagnostic testing. The electrocardiographic stress test.

The inherent imperfection of clinical diagnostic tests introduces uncertainty into their interpretation. The magnitude of diagnostic uncertainty after any test may be quantified by information theory. THe information content of the electrocardiographic ST-segment response to exercise, relative to the diagnosis of angiographic coronary artery disease, was determined using literature-based pooled estimates of the true- and false-positive rates for various magnitudes of ST depression from less than 0.5 mm to greater than or equal to 2.5 mm. This analysis allows three conclusions of clinical relevance. First, the diagnostic information content of exercise-induced ST-segment depression, interpreted by the standard 1.0-mm criterion, averages only 15% of that of coronary angiography. Second, there is a 41% increase in information content when the specific magnitude of ST-segment depression is analyzed, as opposed to the single, categorical 1-mm criterion. Third, the information obtained from ECG stress testing is markedly influenced by the prevalence of disease in the population tested, being low in the asymptomatic and typical angina groups and substantially greater in groups with nonanginal chest pain and atypical angina. The quantitation of information has broad relevance to selection and use of diagnostic tests, because one can analyze objectively the value of different interpretation criteria, compare one test with another and evaluate the cost-effectiveness of both a single test and potential testing combination.

Electrocardiography↗
PubMed1980

Efficacy of intravenous procainamide infusion in converting atrial fibrillation to sinus rhythm. Relation to left atrial size.

The efficacy of intravenous procainamide, infused at 30 mg/min to a maximum dose of 20 mg/kg, in converting atrial fibrillation was evaluated under electrocardiographic and blood pressure control in 21 patients. Nine patients had atherosclerotic heart disease, seven had valvular lesions, five had hypertension, and six had no apparent heart disease. Nine patients (converters), who reverted to sinus rhythm at a mean dose of procainamide of 13.3 +/- 3.6 mg/kg (mean plasma concentration, 7.4 +/- 3.9 micrograms/ml) had normal echocardiographic left atrial diameters. All but one of the remainder, the 12 non-converters, who received a mean drug dose of 13.1 +/- 3.5 mg/kg (mean plasma concentration 13.9 +/- 7.6 micrograms/ml), had atrial diameters exceeding 4.0 cm. QRS and QTc intervals were not altered significantly in converters, but were prolonged significantly in non-converters. No serious side effects from the infusion were encountered. Intravenous procainamide infusion appears to be a safe and rapidly effective method of converting recent-onset atrial fibrillation to sinus rhythm in patients with normal left atrial dimensions.

Adult↗