[A rare complication of thoracic radiotherapy: auriculoventricular block. Apropos of a case and review of the literature]. / Une complication rare de la radiothérapie thoracique: le bloc auriculoventriculaire. A propos d'une observation et revue de la littérature.

The authors report the case of a 30-year old patient who presented atrioventricular block 12 years after mediastinal radiation treatment of Hodgkin's disease. This patient had been monitored in the service for 3 years after the insertion of a pacemaker. A review of the literature, identified 15 cases of post-radiation AV block. The AV block was subnodal in the 7 cases which were subjected to endocavitary recording.

[Dromotropic effects of drug combinations. Initial results bearing on a combination of deslanoside and ajmaline]. / Effets dromotropes des associations médicamenteuses. Premiers résultats portant sur l'association deslanoside - ajmaline.

The electrophysiological effects of the cardiotropic drugs have been studied in man by the agency of endocavitary electrocardiography. The effects of drug combinations, which are often prescribed therapeutically, have been studied less often. The authors report the results of a preliminary study of the combination of deslanoside with ajmaline in 26 patients; its effects were compared with those using each drug separately. This combination seems to have true dromotropic effects; although deslanoside alone, in the doses used, does not modify conduction below the bundle of His, it can still act synergistically with ajmaline at this level. A detailed study of the pharmacological effects as a function of the original status of conduction shows that at the level above the bundle His, the dromotropic action is quantitively less on healthy conducting tissue than on abnormal tissue. The effects of ajmaline on the conduction times below the bundle seem to be similar whether or not there is any conduction defect under basal conditions. The difficulties in obtaining and interpreting such measurements in man are discussed in the hope of arriving at a general protocol for studying drug combinations.

[The heart and lithium. Apropos of a case of lithium poisoning with intracavitary electrocardiographic exploration]. / Coeur et lithium. A propos d'une observation d'intoxication par le lithium avec exploration électrocardiographique endocavitaire.

Among the secondary effects of the salts of Li+, which are widely used in psychiatric treatment, cardiac toxicity appears to be rare. The authors report the case history of a female of 24 years of age, with no previous cardiac history, who presented with Li+ intoxication and a supra-His atrio-ventricular block, followed by episodes of sinus arrest (or of sino-atrial block), accompanied by either a junctional rhythm or by periods of prolonged asystole. The results of the endocavitary electrocardiographic investigation are described. These cardiac effects are compared with the general findings reported in the literature; ECG modifications of the T wave are more common, but Li+ may cause other changes: sinus, atrial or ventricular arrhythmiás, disorders of AV conduction, and cardiomyopathies. The main modes of action which have been suggested are of interference with the other cations (K+, Na+, Ca++) in exchanges across membranes, and an effect on membrane adenyl-cyclase stimulated by catechol-amines.

[Chronic pericardial effusion and congenital cardiopathy]. / Epanchement péricardique chronique et cardiopathie congénitale

Report of one case of chronic pericardial effusion combined with pulmonary valve stenosis and atrial septal defect in a man aged 31, hospitalized for congestive heart failure. The relationship between these two diseases were studied, and the diagnostic and therapeutic problems posed were studied.