The pioneering surgical reports of Ross et al. (1) and Cox et al. (2) set the stage for catheter ablation of atrioventricular (AV) node reentrant tachycardia by demonstrating that this type of tachycardia could be cured without damage to the compact AV node or impairment of AV conduction. Several experimental and clinical studies (3-8) have indicated that the anterior and posterior inputs into ...

Introduction: Developmental changes in atrioventricular nodal conduction time and refractoriness have been shown in several studies. Prevalence of atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia (AVNRT) is clearly age-dependent. The purpose of this study was to determine developmental changes of basic and frequency-dependent electrophysiological properties of the atrioventricular node (AV-node)...

In seven patients with symptomatic atrial fibrillation and uncontrollable ventricular rates, selective catheterization of the atrioventricular (AV) nodal artery was performed to chemically destroy the AV node. Ethanol at a concentration of 96% and a dose of 0.5-2 ml was used after selective catheterization of the AV nodal artery had demonstrated temporary AV block after the administration of is...

Paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia most commonly arises from reentry within the atrioventricular (AV) node. Although ablation of the His bundle has gained popularity for treating patients with AV node reentrant tachycardia refractory to medical therapy, undesirable sequelae include complete heart block and the necessity for a permanent pacemaker. To obviate this limitation, we have develop...

Paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia most commonly arises from reentry within the atrioventricular (AV) node. Although ablation of the His bundle has gained popularity for treating patients with AV node reentrant tachycardia refractory to medical therapy, undesirable sequelae include complete heart block and the necessity for a permanent pacemaker. To obviate this limitation, we have develop...

OBJECTIVES This study sought to demonstrate electrophysiologic evidence for the existence of different anatomic atrial input sites of fast and slow conduction pathways in patients with dual atrioventricular (AV) node physiology. BACKGROUND Although a separate posterior exit site exists for a retrograde slow AV node pathway, it remains unresolved whether a separate atrial input site into the A...

An 83 year old lady was highly symptomatic from paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation (AF) despite numerous antiarrhythmic and rate-limiting medications. Given her preserved left ventricular function, a pace and ablate strategy was pursued. Ablation of the AV node proved challenging requiring 2 procedures with apparently stable AV block and regular escape at 40bpm after the first sitting. Persistent R...

To study the electrophysiological effects of capsaicin on spontaneous activity of rabbit atrioventricular (AV) node cells, parameters of action potential in AV node were recorded using intracellular microelectrode technique. Capsaicin (1-30 micromol/L) not only decreased the amplitude of action potential, maximal rate of depolarization (V(max)), velocity of diastolic (phase 4) depolarization, a...

Scenario: This lead II ECG rhythm strip was obtained in a 52-year-old male patient being treated in the neurological intensive care unit for subarachnoid hemorrhage. The patient was unconscious and therefore could not be asked whether he was experiencing symptoms. His vital signs were stable: His blood pressure was 125/70, heart rate was 80 beats per minute (bpm), and he was receiving mechanica...

OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that cardiac-directed expression of adenylyl cyclase VI (AC(VI)) facilitates atrioventricular (AV) nodal conduction. BACKGROUND Cardiac-directed expression of AC(VI), unlike other strategies to increase cyclic adenosine monophosphate generation, reduces mortality in murine cardiomyopathy. Recent reports suggest that AC(VI) expres...