OBJECTIVE Laypersons are poor at emergency pulse checks (sensitivity 84%, specificity 36%). Guidelines indicate that pulse checks should not be performed. The impedance cardiogram (dZ/dt) is used to assess stroke volume. Can a novel defibrillator-based impedance cardiogram system be used to distinguish between circulatory arrest and other collapse states? DESIGN Animal study. SETTING Univer...

A 76-year-old woman was referred to our hospital for unresponsiveness and hypotension. She had developed constipation that had led to ileus and had received 34 g of magnesium citrate (Magcolol P) orally the day before. She was lethargic, her blood pressure was less than 50 mmHg, and electrocardiogram (ECG) revealed sinus arrest with junctional escape rhythm. Her serum concentration of magnesium...

The antiarrhythmic effects of potassium canrenoate were examined in 20 closedchest, pentobarbital-anesthetized dogs with ouabain-induced ventricular tachycardia. In a group of 8 dogs, a mean dose of ouabain of 64.4 ± 3.7 /ig/kg induced sustained ventricular tachycardia. Subsequent administration of potassium canrenoate (30 mg/kg, iv) caused ventricular fibrillation in 1 dog and sinus tachycardi...

BACKGROUND Because of its episodic behavior, the correlation of spontaneous syncope with an abnormal finding can be considered a reference standard. METHODS AND RESULTS We inserted an implantable loop recorder in 111 patients with syncope, absence of significant structural heart disease, and a normal ECG; tilt-testing was negative in 82 (isolated syncope) and positive in 29 (tilt-positive). T...

A 68 year old man presented with syncope associated with episodes of sinus arrest. He responded to insertion of a demand pacemaker. During investigation he was noted to have generalized lymphadenopathy and biopsy revealed that he had an immunoblastic lymphoma. Before further assessment could be made, he developed rapid atrial fibrillation, resistant to several anti-arrhythmic agents and died se...

On a basis of history, clinical examination, and the electrocardiogram it was possible to identify groups of patients with acute myocardial infarction with good and bad prognoses as regards hospital survival. Individual adverse factors were age, prevous history of ischaemic heart disease, anterior infarction, persistent sinus tachycardia, pulmonary crepitations, hypotension, and raised venous p...

A 66-year-old woman underwent successful radiofrequency catheter ablation for long-lasting, drug refractory fast atrial flutter. Two days later she had a cardiac arrest due to torsades de pointes (TdP) tachycardia attributed to relative sinus bradycardia and QT interval prolongation. After successful resuscitation further episodes of TdP occurred, which were treated with temporary pacing. Becau...