A patient with abnormalities of the coronary arteries and non-compaction of the left ventricular myocardium resulting in ischaemic heart disease symptoms.

Left ventricular non-compaction (LVNC) is a rare cardiomyopathy that results from unsettled embryogenesis of myocardium. It is morphologically characterised by the presence of non-compacted, this is hypertrabeculated, myocardium of the left ventricle with deep endocardial recesses. The clinical spectrum of symptoms is very wide - from asymptomatic patients through the cases of heart failure to the patients requiring heart transplantation. The diagnosis is most frequently based on the echocardiography. LVNC is often coexisted with other heart defects and coronary artery abnormalities. We described a case of a 58-year-old man with LVNC and coronary artery anomalies.

[Does the sinoatrial node conduction time depend on heart rate?]. / Czy czas przewodzenia zatokowo-przedsionkowego zalezy od czestosci rytmu serca?

The informations about the dependence of sinoatrial conduction time (SACT) on heart rate (HR) are unequivocal. The aim of the study was to establish if such a dependence really exists. The study group comprised 24 patients (9 women and 15 men) aged 42-71 years, mean 55.8. All the patients presented atrial premature contractions of various etiology. No agents affecting heart electrophysiology were administered until the study was completed. In every patient SACT was estimated by means of the Strauss formula from the 24-hr ecg and from transoesophageal single impulse stimulation. SACT obtained from 24-hr ecg was 156.2 +/- 33.1 ms; whereas the one respectively, calculated from the transoesophageal stimulation was 119.0 +/- 21.0 ms. Despite a significant difference between the results (p less than 0.001), the SACT values obtained with both methods correlated well with each other (r = 0.712; p less than 0.01). The dependence of SACT on basic heart cycle length was observed in 9 pts during 24-h ecg (37.5%). Among these pts SACT was shortened with higher and lengthened with lower HR. In the remaining 15 pts this dependence didn't occur, neither it occurred in any patients examined with the single impulse stimulation. The results suggest that the dependence of SACT on HR is not a constant phenomenon and that it occurs only in a part of the examined population.