The production of ventricular arrhythmias following ligation of the right coronary artery in dogs.

Right ventricular infarction and associated ventricular arrhythmias. once considered rare. are now commonly recognised in patients with inferior wall infarction and clinical data is strongly suggestive of that cardiovascular changes occuring with human myocardial infarction vary importantly depending upon the site of myocardial infarction. Sympathetic hyper-activity is associated with the anterior wall infarcts while posterior wall infarcts lead to increased parasympathetic activity. Prevalence of second and third degree heart block is more frequently associated with the posterior wall infarction than after anterior wall infarction (1-5). The ventricular arrhythmias associated with inferior wall infarction responded very well to bretylium. However the left ventricular tachycardia associated with anterior myocardial inchaemia or infarction did not (6).