Hide Igarashi

Inhibition of dipyridamole-induced myocardial ischemia by diltiazem in patients with coronary artery disease

Summary: We investigated the effect of diltiazem on dipyridamole-induced myocardial ischemia in eight patients with coronary artery disease. Dipyridamole was infused at a rate of 0.142 mg/kg/min for 4 min, and 87-lead mapping was performed to determine the number of leads with ischemic ST-segment depression ≥0.05 mV (nST). The range of nST was 8–24 (mean, 13.8) in the control study. Of eight patients studied, a single dose of 90 mg diltiazem administered 3 h before dipyridamole infusion inhibited dipyridamole-induced ST-segment depression completely in seven (nST = 0) and incompletely in one (nST = from 24 to 5). It was concluded that diltiazem could suppress the myocardial ischemia following dipyridamole infusion.

Local conduction delay causes R-wave amplitude increase in patients with effort angina

Eighty-seven unipolar electrocardiograms distributed over the entire thorax were simulataneously recorded before and after treadmill exercise in 43 patients. Exercise-induced R-wave amplitude change (delta R) and peak R time (time from the onset of QRS to the peak of R wave), were calculated for each lead. The maximal delta R of 87 leads was designated as the max delta R. After exercise, regional delay of peak R time (greater than or equal to 10 msec) on the chest was observed in 13 patients. These patients had significantly higher max delta R than those without such regional peak R time delay (0.71 +/- 0.31mV vs. 0.33 +/- 0.20mV, p less than 0.01). In each case, the site of peak R time delay was almost the same as the site of max delta R. There was no significant difference in the peak heart rate, rise of the systolic blood pressure (delta BPs) during exercise or extent of ischemic ST depression between patients with and without peak R time delay. We concluded that ventricular condition delay plays an important role in the increase of R-wave amplitude after exercise in patients with effort angina pectoris.