BACKGROUND Atrial fibrillation (AF) can be initiated by ectopic beats originating from the atrial or great venous tissues. This study investigated the anatomic characteristics and electrophysiological properties of pulmonary veins (PVs), as well as the possible mechanisms and response to drugs of ectopic foci, and assessed the effects of radiofrequency (RF) ablation on AF initiated by ectopic b...

CARDIOVERSION has proved an effective and safe method for reverting ectopic arrhythmias to sinus rhythm.1'-" However, there is increasing evidence that capacitor electrical discharge may provoke arrhythmias in experimental animals12"-4 as well as in man.2' 6, 15 The majority of abnormal rhythms immediately following cardioversion are atrial in origin and are not serious. They generally represen...

To the Editor: I enjoyed reading the article by Drs. Konecke and Knoebel (CIRCULATION 45: 367, 1972). I would like to raise two questions pertaining to figures 4 and 5. The top of figure 4 shows inverted P waves with a P-R interval exceeding 0.12 in lead II. This rhythm is interpreted by the authors as indicating an A-V junctional rhythm. Although this is certainly a possibility, the other poss...

To the Editor: I read with interest the article on the treatment of patients who have sick sinus syndrome (SSS) with single-chamber atrial pacing by Anderson et al.1 However, their finding of the annual risk of secondor third-degree atrioventricular (AV) block of only 0.6% per year contrasts somewhat with the reported findings that abnormal AV conduction was demonstrated in 57% to 67% of patien...

The atrial arrhythmia profile during inferior wall acute myocardial infarction (AMI) has not been systematically examined with respect to right ventricular (RV) involvement. To this end, 62 consecutive patients with first inferior wall AMI and no other conditions known to increase susceptibility for rhythm disturbances were studied by 24-hour Holter monitoring during the first and tenth day of ...