Electrocardiogram Artifact in Catheterizaton Laboratory Setting Mimicking Ventricular Fibrillation: Stay Vigilant.

Electrocardiogram (ECG) is a reliable tool in the initial diagnostic workup of patients presenting to the Emergency Department (ED). However, it is not totally free of interference from artifacts due to various causes such as positional changes during capture, muscle contractions, limb tremors, etc., Such artifacts can have disastrous complications if they mimic arrhythmias and are treated as such. This case report describes two such patients in the catheterization laboratory (Cath lab) setting who developed ECG changes mimicking ventricular fibrillation. The first patient was shivering upon arrival to the Cath lab and developed ECG changes that were initially thought to be ventricular fibrillation. The patient received 2 DC shocks as a consequence. The ECG changes reflected artifacts caused by shivering and muscle activity. The second patient had similar changes induced by triggering the contrast injector during his coronary angiogram. These cases highlight the importance of staying vigilant for causes of artifacts in asymptomatic, hemodynamically stable patients, especially in Cath lab areas, where rapid management response is expected for optimal patient care.

Antibody to E1 peptide of hepatitis C virus genotype 4 inhibits virus binding and entry to HepG2 cells in vitro.

AIM: To analyze the neutralizing activity of antibodies against E1 region of hepatitis C virus (HCV). Specific polyclonal antibody was raised via immunization of New Zealand rabbits with a synthetic peptide that had been derived from the E1 region of HCV and was shown to be highly conserved among HCV published genotypes. METHODS: Hyper-immune HCV E1 antibodies were incubated over night at 4 degree Celsius with serum samples positive for HCV RNA, with viral loads ranging from 615 to 3.2 million IU/ mL. Treated sera were incubated with HepG2 cells for 90 min. Blocking of viral binding and entry into cells by anti E1 antibody were tested by means of RT-PCR and flow cytometry. RESULTS: Direct immunostaining using FITC conjugated E1 antibody followed by Flow cytometric analysis showed reduced mean fluorescence intensity in samples pre-incubated with E1 antibody compared with untreated samples. Furthermore, 13 out of 18 positive sera (72%) showed complete inhibition of infectivity as detected by RT-PCR. CONCLUSION: In house produced E1 antibody, blocks binding and entry of HCV virion infection to target cells suggesting the involvement of this epitope in virus binding and entry. Isolation of these antibodies that block virus attachment to human cells are useful as therapeutic reagents.