Clinical aspects during long-term follow-up after DC shock ablation of the atrioventricular junction. A Belgian experience.

Ninety-three patients, who underwent DC shock ablation were reviewed over a mean follow-up period of 54 months (range 3 to 84 months). These patients (46 male and 47 female, mean age: 58 years) had failed an average of 3 drugs, and the duration of symptoms was more than 2 years. Paroxysmal atrial fibrillation or flutter was treated in 75 patients (80.6%); the remainder had supraventricular tachycardia or reciprocating tachycardia using an accessory pathway. One shock of 200 J was effective in producing third degree AV block in 40 patients (43%), while 2 or more shocks were used in another 53 patients (57%). Chronic complete heart block (CHB) was obtained in 85 patients (91%), modification of conduction was seen in 2 patients (2.1%), and failure to achieve an improvement in 6 patients (6.4). All the patients of the last group had received more than 4 shocks (200 to 400 J). However no significant difference between the amplitude of atrial and His electrograms could be shown between the CHB patients and those in whom conduction persisted. Over a mean follow-up of 54 months, 66 patients (72%) with successful ablation during the first 48 hours after the procedure remained in CHB. In 18 patients AV conduction resumed but they were all asymptomatic: 10 patients (10.8%) without antiarrhythmic therapy and 8 patients (8.6%) with medication. In conclusion, ablation of the AV junction is effective in more than 82% of patients. Most of the time long-term success can be predicted within 48 hours. However, due to the invasive character of DC shocks, this technique has been supplanted by the less aggressive radiofrequency method.

Clinical experience with a new catheter for His bundle ablation.

Eleven patients aged 33-66 years were referred for treatment of refractory supraventricular arrhythmias. Each patient had failed to respond to medical treatment. One patient had a paroxysmal atrial flutter with a rapid ventricular response. Six patients had a chronic atrial fibrillation. Two others had a supraventricular tachycardia due to reentry in the atrioventricular (AV) node, and two patients suffered from circus movement tachycardia using a concealed left free wall accessory pathway. A specially built United States Catheter and Instruments (USCI) women Dacron polyurethane electrode catheter (bipolar 8F with an internal lumen, 90 A, 5,000 V, 5.5 omega) was positioned in the His bundle area to record unipolar large atrial and His signals. When the maximal ratio low right atrium/His spike was recorded, the pole was connected to the output of a standard defibrillator. A shock of 200-250 J was delivered through this pole. Ten patients developed complete AV block (CAVB) immediately. After 72 hours, these patients were implanted with a rate-responsive pacemaker. The procedure was without side effects. Nine patients remain in CAVB after 3-17 months; in one case AV conduction resumed but the patient is free of arrhythmia. Another patient needed a second catheter ablation after 1 month.

Mechanisms of termination of supraventricular tachycardias by intravenous class III antiarrhythmic agents. A comparison of amiodarone and sotalol.

The effects of amiodarone and sotalol were studied with programmed electrical stimulation of the heart in 19 patients with inducible tachycardia (AV nodal tachycardia: 10 cases, circus movement tachycardia: 9 cases). Amiodarone was administered intravenously at a dose of 300 mg over 2 min and sotalol at a dose of 1.5 mg kg-1 over 10 min. Both i.v. amiodarone and sotalol lengthened the transnodal conduction time, the effective refractory period of the AV node and the AV nodal Wenckebach cycle length. Only sotalol significantly lengthened the effective refractory periods of the right atrium and the right ventricle. Infused intravenously during tachycardia, amiodarone interrupted arrhythmia in five of six patients and sotalol in seven of ten cases. Tachycardia was stopped by blockade of the impulse into the AV node in three amiodarone patients and in five sotalol patients. In the remaining four cases, the weak link of the circuit was the accessory pathway. Thus i.v. sotalol exhibits electrophysiologic effects consistent with both class II and III activity, whereas the effects of i.v. amiodarone are the result of different activities throughout all areas of the cardiac tissue.

Antegrade conduction over a concealed accessory pathway after His bundle catheter ablation.

The existence of unidirectional retrograde preexcitation or concealed bypass fibers and their role in paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia have been known for a long time. However, the exact anatomic and physiological nature of this retrograde limb remains unclear. We report here on a patient who had a concealed accessory pathway (AP) with circus movement tachycardia. After His bundle catheter ablation the AP had the property to conduct in the antegrade direction. The absence of antegrade conduction over the AP before ablation is likely due to its decremental properties of conduction and to repetitive retrograde concealed conduction from the normal pathway.

Primary cardiac liposarcoma simulating a left atrial myxoma.

This paper reports the case of cardiac tumor which had been diagnosed as a left atrial myxoma but which later on was identified as being a primary cardiac liposarcoma. The clinical characteristics of cardiac liposarcomas, the problems of differential diagnosis, the prognosis and therapy are reviewed.