Abstract
During regular driving of the right atrium using the single-test stimulus method, atrioventricular conduction and initiation of tachycardias were studied in six patients with the Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome (W-P-W), before and 45 min after the administration of ouabain (0.75-1.5 mg into the right atrium).
Following ouabain (1) all patients showed shortening of the refractory period of their anomalous pathway; (2) at least five of them showed lengthening of the refractory period of the A-V nodal-His pathway; and (3) all patients showed prolongation of the A-V nodal transmission time (prolongation of the A-H interval). In four patients who suffered from circus-movement tachycardias these changes resulted in two patients in marked shortening of the range of premature beat intervals during which a tachycardia could be initiated and complete inability to initiate a tachycardia in the other two. These results suggest that digitals can be of prophylactive value in patients with the Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome and circus-movement tachycardias.
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Wellens, H.J.J., Durrer, D. (2000). Effect of digitalis on atrioventricular conduction and circus-movement tachycardias in patients with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome. In: Smeets, J.L.R.M., Doevendans, P.A., Josephson, M.E., Kirchhof, C., Vos, M.A. (eds) Professor Hein J.J. Wellens. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-4110-9_6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-4110-9_6
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