[Effects of fibrinolysis on late potentials in myocardial infarction]. / Effets de la fibrinolyse sur les potentiels tardifs dans l'infarctus myocardique.

Late potentials are an index of gravity following myocardial infarction, but there has been little investigation of the effects of fibrinolysis on their incidence. Eighty-two consecutive patients (68 men, 14 women, group men age = 55 +/- 8 years) admitted presenting with a primary infarction and who had received fibrinolytic treatment within the first four hours. Each patient was screened for late potentials, and underwent a coronary artery angiograph and determination of the left ventricular ejaculation fraction (LCEF) following the infarction. The incidence of late potentials was 38% in the patients with an occluded coronary artery (9/24) vs 12% in patients with a permeable artery (7/58) (p less than 0.02). The change in LVEF was greater if reperfusion was not achieved (47 +/- 13% vs 54 +/- 12%, p less than 0.05). This study suggests that following fibrinolysis, the incidence of late potentials is correlated with both an absence of coronary reperfusion and deterioration of left ventricular function.

[After a myocardial infarction]. / L'après infarctus du myocarde.

According to the literature and our experience, une expose our conception and our methodology of taking in charge patients after acute myocardial infarction. It is important to evaluate risks based on clinical data and exercise tests. Cardiac rehabilitation is taught of as a number of measures acting on the physical, the psychiatric and the socio-occupational levels, the importance of correcting risk factors and long-term follow-up.

Inter- and intrasubject variability of the thermodilution measurement of right ventricular ejection fraction and volume in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To determine the spontaneous changes in volumetric indices of right ventricular function assessed by thermodilution. DESIGN: The study involved measurements of inter- and intraindividual variation of right ventricular function in human subjects at rest and at two different levels of low load supine bicycle exercise. SUBJECTS: The subjects were 23 patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, referred for evaluation by right heart catheterisation. Mean (SEM) age was 55.4 (2.2) years and all were in sinus rhythm. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: Successive measurements of ejection fraction and right ventricular end diastolic and end systolic volumes were made by thermodilution with a fast response thermistor mounted in a Swan-Ganz catheter. Five measurements were made at rest (R), and three measurements during each of two levels of exercise (E1, E2). Group average values for each period showed no significant changes with time; interindividual variability was expressed as the coefficient of variation (VC1 = SD/means), intraindividual variability (VC2) as square root of mean value of individual variances. Interindividual variability increased from rest to exercise, while intraindividual variability was lower during exercise, presumably because the variables were more steady. For ejection fraction, VC1, was 23% at rest, 29% for E1 and 32% for E2, while VC2 was 21%, 12% and 15% respectively; for right ventricular end diastolic volume, VC1 was 23% at rest, 29% and 28% during exercise, and VC2 was 17%, 12% and 11% respectively. In some patients cold injection induced bradycardia and spuriously high values of ejection fraction. CONCLUSIONS - It is important to monitor heart rate before and during thermodilution measurements and to take into account only those made with stable heart rate. Injectate temperature should be above 10 degrees C.

Isoprenaline as an aid to the induction of catecholamine dependent supraventricular tachycardias during programmed stimulation.

The effects of isoprenaline on the induction of supraventricular tachycardia by programmed stimulation were studied in 67 patients to see whether they correlated with spontaneous catecholamine mediated symptoms during exercise testing and Holter monitoring. Thirty seven control patients (group 1) did not have spontaneous arrhythmias either during exercise testing or Holter monitoring. Thirty patients (group 2) had documented exercise or stress related supraventricular tachycardias--that is paroxysmal junctional tachycardia (24) or atrial arrhythmia (6). Programmed electrical stimulation was performed before and during the infusion of isoprenaline. No group 1 patient developed sustained supraventricular tachycardia during isoprenaline infusion. In 21 patients with paroxysmal junctional tachycardia and all the patients with atrial arrhythmias electrical stimulation during isoprenaline infusion produced the same tachycardia that had been seen during exercise testing and Holter monitoring. Changes in electrophysiological variables and the concentrations of serum potassium were not associated with the induction of supraventricular tachycardia by isoprenaline. Infusion of isoprenaline safely facilitated the induction of supraventricular tachycardia by programmed stimulation in patients who had spontaneously occurring catecholamine mediated symptoms.

[Diagnostic value of the isoproterenol test in effort tachycardia]. / Valeur diagnostique du test à l'Isuprel dans les tachycardies d'effort.

An isoproterenol test was performed in 69 patients during electrophysiological investigation to assess its diagnostic value in adrenergic supraventricular or ventricular tachycardia. Sixteen control subjects had no symptoms on exercise and routine exercise stress testing did not trigger any hyperexcitability. Sixteen patients had reproducible documented supraventricular tachycardia induced by exercise (13 paroxysmal junctional tachycardias, 3 focal atrial tachycardias). Eight patients had ventricular hyperexcitability related to effort. Twenty-nine patients had supraventricular and/or ventricular hyperexcitability only at rest. Electrophysiological investigations included paired atrial stimulation during sinus rhythm and paced rhythm followed by programmed ventricular stimulation using one and then two extrastimuli delivered during sinus rhythm and paced ventricular rhythm. These stimulation studies were carried out under basal conditions and then during low dose isoproterenol infusion (10 to 40 micrograms) which accelerated the heart rate to 130/mn. Electrophysiological and conduction parameters and the mode of induction of the tachycardia (defined as at least 5 successive echos with a configuration similar to the clinical tachycardia) were studied. We observed an acceleration of anterograde and retrograde conduction and a shortening of the effective atrial and ventricular refractory periods but these changes were found equally in the different groups of patients and were not related to the induction of tachycardias. The induction of paroxysmal junctional tachycardia by isoproterenol was a very sensitive (92%) and specific (100%) diagnostic method. Its diagnostic value was much greater than Holter monitoring (25%) and exercise stress testing (12.5%). Induction of ventricular tachycardia by isoproterenol was also very sensitive (75%) and specific (95%). The diagnostic value was higher than exercise stress testing (71%) and Holter monitoring (62%). Isoproterenol did not affect the induction of spontaneous tachyarrythmias unrelated to effort and even suppressed the triggering of some episodes. In conclusion, the induction by atrial or ventricular pacing or spontaneous supraventricular or ventricular tachycardia during isoproterenol infusion was very specific and correlated with the concept of tachycardia induced by exercise and therefore of adrenergic nature. The sensitivity of this test was excellent in patients with supraventricular tachycardia (95%) and very good in ventricular tachycardia (75%). On the other hand, the changes in the electrophysiological parameters were not specific for a group of patients.

[Tumor markers in bronchial cancer: do they have a role in daily practice?]. / Les marqueurs tumoraux au cours du cancer bronchique: ont-ils une place en pratique quotidienne?

The authors report a study conducted in 167 cases of primary bronchial carcinoma, in which 6 tumour markers were assayed: carcinoembryonic antigen, alpha-1-foetoprotein, ACTH, parathormone, thyrocalcitonin, and beta-HCG. The statistical analysis of their results suggests that these markers are of limited value in routine practice. They discuss the development of the ideas on this subject and try to explain a certain number of controversies.