Zhen En Piao

Progression of native coronary artery disease at 10 years: insights from a randomized study of medical versus surgical therapy for angina.

Repeat coronary angiography was performed in 42 patients 10 years after randomization to medical (n = 21) or surgical (n = 21) therapy for chronic angina. The native coronary arteries were classified into 15 angiographic segments and 3 arterial trunks for analysis of progression of coronary artery disease. The incidence rate of disease progression in coronary segments was 24% and 28% in medically and surgically treated patients, respectively (p = NS). Grafted segments showed a 38% rate of disease progression, which was higher than the 18% rate of for nongrafted segments (p less than 0.001) and the overall rate of 24% for medically treated patients (p less than 0.01). Similarly, 29 (94%) of 31 grafted arteries exhibited disease progression compared with 19 (59%) of 32 nongrafted arteries (p less than 0.01) and 42 (67%) of 63 arteries in medically treated patients (p less than 0.01). In grafted vessels, disease progression occurred more often in arteries proximal (84%) to the anastomosis than in arteries distal (16%) to graft insertion (p less than 0.001). Progression occurred in 46% of proximal segments compared with 23% of distal segments (p less than 0.02). Progression was seen in 23 (55%) of 43 segments with an occluded graft compared with 30 (31%) of 96 segments with a patent graft (p less than 0.02). Ten years after randomization, medically and surgically treated patients showed a comparable rate of disease progression in coronary segments. However, surgical therapy appeared to significantly accelerate atherosclerotic progression in the grafted vessels, especially in the proximal portions. Occluded grafts also correlated with an adverse effect on disease progression.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Contrast media-induced ventricular fibrillation. A comparison of Hypaque-76, Hexabrix, and Omnipaque.

Contrast media occasionally produce ventricular fibrillation during coronary angiography. We compared the fibrillatory propensity of the conventional ionic contrast medium, Hypaque-76 (H76) to the low osmolar ionic dimer Hexabrix (HB) and to the nonionic agent Omnipaque (OM) in 20 open chest anesthetized dogs. Intracoronary injection of 6 mL of contrast medium produced spontaneous ventricular fibrillation in four of ten dogs with H76, compared with two of ten with HB, and zero of ten with OM (P = .07). The induction of two premature beats by programmed stimulation of the myocardium during injection of 4 mL of contrast medium produced ventricular fibrillation in ten of ten dogs with H76, compared with three of ten with HB, and zero of ten with OM (P less than .001). Both H76 and HB produced ventricular fibrillation in ten of ten dogs when three premature beats were induced, compared with two of ten dogs with OM (P less than .001). Four mL H76 produced a 109 +/- 18 msec increase in the QT interval, compared with an 82 +/- 17 msec increase with HB, and a 45 +/- 12 msec increase with OM. We conclude that both low osmolar HB and OM are less fibrillatory than the conventional ionic medium H76, and that the nonionic medium OM is less fibrillatory than the ionic dimer contrast medium HB.

The use of programmed electrical stimulation to assess the fibrillatory propensity of ionic and nonionic contrast media.

Coronary angiography occasionally results in ventricular fibrillation. To compare the fibrillatory propensity of conventional ionic and nonionic contrast media, we measured QT intervals and performed programmed electrical stimulation during intracoronary injection of Renografin 76 (R76), Hypaque 76 (H76), and iopamidol (IOP) in 16 open chest dogs. In ten dogs the incidence of ventricular fibrillation following induction of a single premature ventricular beat after every fourth atrial paced beat was 19/20 with R76, 8/20 with H76, and 0/20 with IOP (P less than .001). When two premature beats were induced, the incidence of ventricular fibrillation was 20/20 with R76, 19/20 with H76, and 1/20 with IOP (P less than .001). In six additional dogs, the mean prolongation of the QT interval was 170 +/- 20 msec with R76, 105 +/- 14 msec with H76, and 63 +/- 9 msec with IOP (P less than .001). Thus, programmed electrical stimulation readily induces ventricular fibrillation during intracoronary injection of conventional ionic contrast media. The incidence of ventricular fibrillation parallels the amount of QT interval prolongation produced. H76, which lacks EDTA and sodium citrate, is less fibrillatory than R76. However, the nonionic medium IOP appears far less fibrillatory than either R76 or H76.

The effect of sodium on the fibrillatory propensity of nonionic contrast media.

Removing sodium from standard ionic contrast media markedly increases the incidence of ventricular fibrillation in patients undergoing coronary angiography. Newer nonionic contrast media, iopamidol, iohexol, and ioversol contain only trace amounts of sodium. To determine whether sodium attenuates or potentiates ventricular fibrillation from nonionic contrast media, we measured the prolongation in QT interval and performed programmed electrical stimulation with one, two and three extra ventricular stimuli in 40 dogs during 4-mL intracoronary injections of iopamidol, iohexol, and ioversol. Solutions of each contrast medium with added NaCl at concentrations of 0.225%, 0.45%, and 0.9% were compared with standard contrast media. The addition of NaCl markedly increased the amount of QT interval prolongation produced by each contrast medium. With iopamidol, the amount of QT interval prolongation was 40 +/- 11 msec with standard iopamidol, but was 58 +/- 11 msec with 0.225% NaCl/iopamidol, 84 +/- 17 msec with 0.45% NaCl/iopamidol, and 132 +/- 42 msec with 0.9% NaCl/iopamidol (P less than .001). Similar results were seen with iohexol and ioversol. Ventricular fibrillation was difficult to induce with standard solutions of these agents (even with three extra stimuli), but became progressively easier to induce when NaCl was added. Three extra stimuli produced ventricular fibrillation in zero of 11 dogs with standard iopamidol, zero of 11 with 0.225% NaCl/iopamidol, three of 11 with 0.45% NaCl/iopamidol, and eight of 11 with 0.9% NaCl/iopamidol (P less than .001). Similar results were observed with iohexol and ioversol. The addition of choline chloride or dextrose did not increase ventricular fibrillation and QT interval prolongation. It is concluded that standard preparations of nonionic contrast media have a very low fibrillatory propensity.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Effects of contrast media on coronary hemodynamics and myocardial metabolism.

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVESThis study was designed to compare the effects of ionic contrast medium (CM), Renografin-76 (R76), and nonionic CM, Omnipaque-350 (OM350), on coronary hemodynamics and myocardial metabolism. METHODSIn 10 open-chest, atrial-paced dogs, 4 mL of R76 and OM350 were injected into the left anterior descending coronary artery. Coronary blood flow (CBF), myocardial oxygen consumption (MVO2), lactate extraction (LE), left ventricular (LV) dp/dt, and aortic systolic pressure (AOP) were measured. RESULTSThe maximal CBF changes caused by OM350 and R76 were 23.7 ± 3.3 mL/minute and 18.3 ± 3.3 mL/minute (NS), respectively. OM350 produced an increase in LV dp/dt by 378 ± 85 mm Hg/second, which was different from – 244 ± 65 mm Hg/second by R76 (P < .05). The changes in MVO2 and LE after OM350 injection were 2.6 ± 0.6 mL/minute and 10.2 ± 5 μM/minute, respectively; those were different from – 0.1 ± 0.4 mL/minute, and –7.7 ± 5.1 μM/minute after R76 injection (P < .05). CONCLUSIONAlthough both agents increased CBF, they appeared to act by different mechanisms. That a direct coronary vasodilator effect is the main action of R76 on coronary vascular response is suggested by decreasing myocardial contractility and oxygen consumption. However, OM350, by enhancing both parameters, may augment CBF at least in part by autoregulation.

A Comparison of Sodium Meglumine Diatrizoate and Iohexol

Myocardial ATP, ADP, and AMP were measured from cardiac biopsy in 11 dogs after intracoronary injection of 6 mL of sodium-meglumine diatrizoate (SMD), iohexol (IOH), or 0.9% sodium chloride (NaCl), and in three of the dogs at baseline before any injection. The ATP at baseline and after SMD, IOH, and 0.9% NaCl were 5.39 +/- 0.41, 3.72 +/- 0.70, 5.52 +/- 0.82, and 5.44 +/- 1.40 mumol/g wet weight, respectively. There were significant differences between SMD and IOH (P less than .02), and between SMD and 0.9% NaCl (P less than .05). The energy charge of SMD was 0.82 +/- 0.08, which differed from 0.89 +/- 0.02 for NaCl or 0.9 +/- 0.05 for baseline (P less than .05), but not from 0.85 +/- 0.04 for IOH. In conclusion, diatrizoate caused significant depletions in ATP stores in comparison with iohexol, but there was no significant difference with respect to energy charge. Nonionic contrast media would be preferable for coronary arteriography in patients whose high-energy stores might be depleted from severe ischemia.

Effects of contrast media on the conducting system of the heart during coronary angiography. A comparison of Renografin-76 to Hypaque-76.

Electrocardiographic changes induced by ionic contrast media can cause complications during coronary angiography. A conduction delay through various parts of the heart is one factor in the genesis of asystole or ventricular fibrillation. Hypaque-76 (H76) and Renografin-76 (R76) are nearly identical ionic contrast media except that R76 binds more calcium than H76 because of the presence of sodium citrate and EDTA in R76. To determine whether the calcium binding additives in ionic contrast media contribute to the cardiac conduction abnormalities, we examined conduction time through the atrioventricular (AV) nodal tissue (via bipolar His bundle electrograms) and through the distal part of the conduction system (recording the QRS complex from the ECG) during coronary angiography. We injected 10 mL of H76 and R76 in 19 closed chest dogs in a blinded, randomized fashion during coronary angiography. The effects of H76 and R76 on heart rate, AH interval, HV interval, V interval and PR interval, and QRS complex duration were recorded. In 14 nonatrial pacing dogs, compared with H76, R76 produced a greater increase in the AV interval (32.9 +/- 6 milliseconds vs 12.4 +/- 2 milliseconds, P less than .01) and the PR interval (29.6 +/- 6 milliseconds vs 11.9 +/- 4 milliseconds, P less than .02). Additionally, the heart rate decreased 13.9 +/- 3.5 beats/minute from control with R76 compared with a decrease of 4.2 +/- 2.6 beats/minute from control with H76 (P less than .05). There was no significant difference between the prolongation of the HV interval and V interval, or QRS complex duration generated by R76 and H76.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Pacemaker Malfunction Simulated by Amplifier Saturation

In this case report, pacemaker malfunction is simulated by prolonged pauses after each pacemaker discharge. The pauses were due to saturation of the input of the telemetry monitor amplifier by the discharge voltage of the pacemaker. It is important to recognize amplifier saturation as a form of artifact that can mimic pacemaker malfunction.