获得性QT间期延长伴尖端扭转型室性心动过速52例临床分析

Objective Risk factors, ECG characteristics and treatment options of patients with Torsade de Points associated with acquired QT prolongation are summarized in this study. Method Using "torsade de points" and "QT prolongation" as the keywords to search the inpatients database from 1990 -2010 of Fuwai hospital, 52 eligible patients were included in this analysis. Results Structural heart diseases were found in 67.3% and electrolyte disorders in 59. 6% patients, 36. 5% patients received diuretic therapy and 28. 8% received antiarrhythmic drugs which might induce prolonged QT interval The mean QTc was (571 ±93)ms and (456 ±50)ms before and after treatment. All patients received potassium and magnesium supplement. Isoproterenol was used in 32. 7% patients. 13.5% patients received temporary pacing therapy. Conclusions Torsade de points and acquired QT interval prolongation was often associated with electrolyte disorders and drugs causing QT prolongation. ECG and QTc should be intensively monitored for high risk patients. Early awareness of the warning signs might contribute to early recognition and proper treatment of patients with Torsade de Points associated with acquired QT prolongation.     

获得性QT间期延长伴尖端扭转型室性心动过速52例临床分析

目的 总结获得性QT间期延长伴尖端扭转型室性心动过速(扭转型室速)患者的危险因素、心电图特征、治疗方法,为临床医生正确识别和处理提供帮助.方法以"扭转型室速"及"QT间期延长"检索阜外心血管病医院1990至2010年病历库,统计获得性扭转型室速患者的临床资料.结果总计52例获得性扭转型室速,其中67.3%有基础心脏病,59.6%存在电解质紊乱,36.5%应用利尿剂,28.8%应用延长QT间期的抗心律失常药.治疗前后平均QTc分别为(571±93)ms及(456±50)ms,所有患者均经补钾、补镁治疗,32.7%应用异丙肾上腺素,13.5%接受临时起搏治疗.结论获得性扭转型室速多发生于电解质紊乱及应用延长QT间期药物的患者.高危患者应监测心电图及QTc变化,注意有预警价值的表现,有助于早期识别并正确治疗.

Abstract：

Objective Risk factors, ECG characteristics and treatment options of patients with Torsade de Points associated with acquired QT prolongation are summarized in this study. Method Using "torsade de points" and "QT prolongation" as the keywords to search the inpatients database from 1990 -2010 of Fuwai hospital, 52 eligible patients were included in this analysis. Results Structural heart diseases were found in 67.3% and electrolyte disorders in 59. 6% patients, 36. 5% patients received diuretic therapy and 28. 8% received antiarrhythmic drugs which might induce prolonged QT interval The mean QTc was (571 ±93)ms and (456 ±50)ms before and after treatment. All patients received potassium and magnesium supplement. Isoproterenol was used in 32. 7% patients. 13.5% patients received temporary pacing therapy. Conclusions Torsade de points and acquired QT interval prolongation was often associated with electrolyte disorders and drugs causing QT prolongation. ECG and QTc should be intensively monitored for high risk patients. Early awareness of the warning signs might contribute to early recognition and proper treatment of patients with Torsade de Points associated with acquired QT prolongation.     

Aging effects on QT interval: Implications for cardiac safety of antipsychotic drugs

Objectives To explore the effect of aging on cardiac toxicity specifically the interaction of age and antipsychotic drugs to alter the QT interval. Methods The Medline databases were searched using the OvidSP platforms with the search strategy： ＂QT interval＂ or ＂QT＂ and ＂age＂ or ＂aging＂. The entry criteria were： over 10,000 apparently healthy individuals with data on both sexes; QT interval corrected for heart rate （QTc） and an expression of its variance for multiple age decades extending into the older ages. Results QTc increased in duration with increasing age. Considering a modest one SD increment in QTc in the normal population, the addition of Chlorpromazine produced a QTc on average greater than 450 ms for ages 70 years and older. Risperidone, that did not on average alter QTc, would be expected to produce a QTc of 450 ms in persons in their mid 70 years under some circumstances. QTc prolongation 〉 500 ms with antipsychotic drugs is more likely for persons with QTc initially at the 99th percentile. It may occur with Haloperidol which does not on average alter QTc. Conclusions The range of values for the QT interval in apparently normal older men or women, when combined with the range of expected QT interval changes induced by antipsychotic drugs, can readily be associated with prolonged QTc. Individuals with QTc at the 99th percentile may have serious QTc prolongation with antipsychotic drugs even those that are not usually associated with QTc prolongation.     

Cardiac and non-cardiac causes of T-wave inversion in the precordial leads in adult subjects: A Dutch case series and review of the literature

AIM: To describe the electrocardiographic(ECG) phenomena characterized by T-wave inversion in the precordial leads in adults and to highlight its differential diagnosis. METHODS: A retrospective chart review of 8 adult patients who were admitted with ECG T-wave inversion in the anterior chest leads with or without prolongation of corrected QT(QTc) interval. They had different clinical conditions. Each patient underwent appropriate clinical assessment including investigation for myocardial involvement. Single and multimodality noninvasive, semi-invasive and invasive diagnostic approach were used to ascertain the diagnosis. The diagnostic assessment included biochemical investigation, cardiac and abdominal ultrasound, cerebral and chest computed tomography, nuclear medicine and coronary angiography.RESULTS: Eight adult subjects(5 females) with a mean age of 66 years(range 51 to 82) are analyzed. The etiology of T-wave inversion in the precordial leads were diverse. On admission, all patients had normal blood pressure and the ECG showed sinus rhythm. Five patients showed marked prolongation of the QTc interval. The longest QTc interval(639 ms) was found in the patient with pheochromocytoma. Giant T-wave inversion(≥ 10 mm) was found in pheochromocytoma followed by electroconvulsive therapy and finally ischemic heart disease. The deepest T-wave was measured in lead V3(5 ×). In 3 patients presented with mild T-wave inversion(patients 1, 5 and 4 mm), the QTc interval was not prolonged(432, 409 and 424 msec), respectively.CONCLUSION: T-wave inversion associated with or without QTc prolongation requires meticulous history taking, physical examination and tailored diagnostic modalities to reach rapid and correct diagnosis to establish appropriate therapeutic intervention.     

Antioxidant therapy for chronic hepatitis C after failure of interferon： Results of phase Ⅱ randomized,double-blind placebo controlled clinical trial

AIM： TO assess the safety and efficacy of antioxidant therapy for patients with chronic hepatitis C virus （HCV） infection.
METHODS： One hundred chronic HCV infection patients failed in interferon treatment were enrolled and randomly assigned to receive combined intravenous and oral antioxidants or placebo, or oral treatment alone, Primary end points were liver enzymes, HCV-RNA levels and histology.
RESULTS： Combined oral and intravenous antioxidant therapy was associated with a significant decline in ALT levels in 52% of patients who received antioxidant therapy vs 20% of patients who received placebo （P = 0.05）. Histology activity index （HAI） score at the end of treatment was reduced in 48% of patients who received antioxidant therapy vs 26% of patients who received placebo （P = 0.21）. HCV-RNA levels decreased by l-log or more in 28% of patients who received antioxidant therapy vs 12% who received placebo （P = NS）. In part 11 of the trial, oral administration of antioxidants was not associated with significant alterations in any of the end points.
CONCLUSION： Antioxidant therapy has a mild beneficial effect on the inflammatory response of chronic HCV infection patients who are non-responders to interferon. Combined antiviral and antioxidant therapy may be beneficial for these patients.     

BNP和hsCRP检测对ICD植入患者的预后研究

Objectives Phenotypic overlap of Brugada syndrome with type 3 long QT syndrome is observed in some carriers of mutations in the Na channel SCN5A.Concomitant-Brugada syndrome and 3 type long QT syndrome associated with sodium channel mutation was reported before,however, no data showed concomitant-Brugada type and short QT interval electrocardiogram(ECG) and revealed the associated-gene mutation.Methods The direct DNA sequence was conduced to find the mutation.The mutation was reproduced in vitro using site-directed mutagenesis and characterized using the patch clamp technique in the whole-cell configuration. Results The patient with the family history of sudden death showed Brugada and short QT interval ECG.Sequence of SCN5A identified a missense mutation,R689H,previously associated with a long QT syndrome.Biophysical study showed that the R689H failed to generate any current when heterolo-gously expressed in HEK cells.Conclusions Our findings indicate for the first time that coexisted- Brugada type and short QT interval ECG linked to the loss of function in SCN5A mutation.     

Concomitant-Brugada and short QT ECG linked to SCN5A mutation

Objectives Phenotypic overlap of Brugada syndrome with type 3 long QT syndrome is observed in some carriers of mutations in the Na channel SCN5A.Concomitant-Brugada syndrome and 3 type long QT syndrome associated with sodium channel mutation was reported before,however, no data showed concomitant-Brugada type and short QT interval electrocardiogram(ECG) and revealed the associated-gene mutation.Methods The direct DNA sequence was conduced to find the mutation.The mutation was reproduced in vitro using site-directed mutagenesis and characterized using the patch clamp technique in the whole-cell configuration. Results The patient with the family history of sudden death showed Brugada and short QT interval ECG.Sequence of SCN5A identified a missense mutation,R689H,previously associated with a long QT syndrome.Biophysical study showed that the R689H failed to generate any current when heterolo-gously expressed in HEK cells.Conclusions Our findings indicate for the first time that coexisted- Brugada type and short QT interval ECG linked to the loss of function in SCN5A mutation.     

Ibutilide and novel indexes of ventricular repolarization in persistent atrial fibrillation patients

AIM: To examine the effect of ibutilide on novel indexes of repolarization in patients with persistent atrial fibrillation (AF). METHODS: We studied consecutive patients scheduled for elective electrical cardioversion. Intravenous ibutilide (1+1mg) was administered before the electrical cardioversion while close electrocardiographic (ECG) monitoring was performed. ECG indexes such as corrected QT interval (QTc), the interval from the peak until the end of T wave (Tpe), and the Tpe/QT ratio were measured before ibutilide infusion and 10 min after the end of infusion. RESULTS: The final study population consisted of 20 patients (mean age: 67.1±9.9 years, 10 men). Six patients were cardioverted pharmacologically and did not proceed to electrical cardioversion. Two patientsdeveloped short non-sustained episodes of torsades de pointes ventricular tachycardia. All but one of the aforementioned ECG indexes increased significantly after ibutilide administration. In specific, the QTc interval increased from 442 ± 29 to 471 ± 37 ms (P=0.037), the Tpe interval in precordial leads from 96 ms (range 80-108 ms) to 101 ms (range 91-119 ms) (P=0.021), the Tpe interval in lead Ⅱ from 79 ms (range 70-88 ms) to 100 ms (range 87-104 ms) (P<0.001), the Tpe/QT ratio in precordial leads from 0.23 ms (range 0.18-0.26 ms) to 0.26 ms (range 0.23-0.28 ms) (P=0.028), and the Tpe interval dispersion from 25 ms (range 23-30 ms) to 35 ms (range 27-39 ms) (P=0.012). However, the Tpe/QT ratio in lead II did not change significantly. CONCLUSION: Ibutilide increases the duration and dispersion of ventricular repolarization. The prognostic value of Tpe and Tpe/QT in the setting of drug-induced proarrhythmia needs further study.     

EVALUATION OF VENTRICULAR REPOLARIZATION TIME IN PATIENTS WITH BUNDLE BRANCH BLOCK AND COMPARISON OF TWO FORMULAS FOR CORRECTION OF JT INTERVAL FOR HEART RATE

Objective To evaluate the effects of prolongation of the QRS time on QT interval and seek for a proper formula for correction of the JT interval for heart rate.Methods QRS and QT intervals were measured in 68 patients with bundle branch block (BBB) and 50 normal control subjects.The JT interval was derived by subtracting QRS from QT interval (JT= QT-QRS).The QTc was obtained by applying Bazett's formula(QTc = QT/(RR)~(1/2)).The JTc was obtained by using JTc = JT/(RR)~(1/2) + QRS/(RR)~(1/2)-QRS ( F1 ) and JTC = JT/(RR)~(1/2) (F2)respectively.Results The patients with BBB have a prolonged QTc interval but a normal JTc interval. The JTc obtained by applying F( was significantly different from that obtained by applying F2 ·The curve corresponding to F1 was parallel to the curve defined by Bazett's formula, but the curve corresponding to F2 was not.Conclusion Formula JTc = JT/(RR)~(1/2) + QRS/(RR)~(1/2)-QRS is a better equation than JTc = JT/(RR)~(1/2) for correcting JT interval for heart rate corresponding     

Nifekalant in the treatment of life-threatening ventricular tachyarrhythmias

The aim of the present study is to review the literature and discuss nifekalant’s potential use as a first aid drug in an emergency care setting.The PubMed database was used to identify papers,using Keywords nifekalant,MS-551,amiodarone and lidocaine.Nifekalant hydrochloride,formally known as MS-551,is a classⅢ antiarrhythmic agent which acts only by increasing the time course of myocardial repolarization.It was developed and is currently being used only in Japan for the treatment of ventricular tachyarrhythmias.It is a non-selective K+channel blocker without any β-blocking actions.Administration of nifekalant suppressed sustained ventricular tachyarrhythmias in acute coronary syndrome patients,and in cardiac arrest victims as well as during or after cardiac surgery.The major adverse effect of nifekalant is QT interval prolongation and occurrence of torsades de pointes which requires frequent monitoring of the QT interval during nifekalant infusion with adequate dose adjustment.Nifekalant is a possible effective antiarrhythmic agent for refractory ventricular tachyarrhythmias.Further clinical studies are required before nifekalant is routinely used in the emergency care setting.     

肿瘤病人弓形虫感染分析

在肿瘤的发生和发展进程中 ,多伴有免疫功能低下或缺陷 ,从而极易遭受各种感染。弓形虫是机会感染因子 ,当患者免疫功能受损时 ,易于感染 ,还会使隐性感染激活 ,引起低热不退、淋巴结肿和脑神经系统的反应 ,此现象尚未引起临床医师的重视。近年来 ,我们对 4 0 9例肿瘤病人进行了弓形虫感染及弓形虫病的分析观察 ,报告如下 :1　材料与方法1 1　材料　 30 4例病人血清取自江西省肿瘤医院住院或门诊病人 ,随机抽样后低温保存待检 ,10 5例取自其他医院送检样品 ,有急性症状者随到随检 ,以便及时做病原学检测。1 2　弓形虫病诊断方法1 2 1　免疫…     

A patient with rectal ulcer with severe stenosis presenting with perforated peritonitis

We report a patient with rectal ulcer with severe stenosis, who underwent urgent surgical treatment for perforated peritonitis. The 54-year-old man suddenly developed cramping abdominal pain and fever while hospitalized, with signs of peritoneal irritation. An emergency laparotomy was performed, and severe stenosis of the rectum and a perforated lesion on the oral side approximately 10 cm distant from the stenosis were found, with massive abdominal purulent fluid. He was treated by rectosigmoid colon resection with transverse colon loop colostomy. Histopathologically, the stenosis was caused by ulceration extending to all muscular layers of the rectum, with inflammatory changes. Benign rectal stenosis is so rare that differential diagnosis from malignancy may be difficult when there are inflammatory changes in the surrounding tissues. However, it is necessary to keep in mind the likelihood of this disease in differentiation from rectal cancer. Received: December 21, 1998 / Accepted: May 28, 1999     

Infection with Rhodococcus equi in a patient with sarcoidosis treated with corticosteroids

A 51-year-old female farmer was diagnosed as having sarcoidosis. During 4 years of observation, slow radiological progression was observed. Cough then developed, necessitating treatment with corticosteroids. After 28 months of continuous treatment with prednisolone in low doses (5-7.5 mg daily), she suffered fever episodes, recurrent haemoptyses, general malaise and loss of weight. A chest roentgenogram showed a left upper lobe infiltrate, which progressed and finally cavitated, and rib destruction. Despite efforts, including a thoracotomy, 22 months passed before a diagnosis could be made. Blood and sputum cultures and cultures from the destroyed rib showed growth of Rhodococcus equi, a common soil organism which can cause infections in foals and other animals. Treatment with rifampicin and erythromycin was successful. R. equi has been reported to cause infection in patients with neoplastic disease and/or immunosuppression, but the disease might be more common than is suggested by the sparse case reports in the literature, owing to lack of familiarity with the organism, which will tend to be overlooked as a contaminant.     

Evaluation of atrial vulnerability with transoesophageal stimulation in patients with atrioventricular junctional: Comparison with patients with ventricular pre-excitation and with normal subjects

The aim of our work was to evaluate the inducibility of atrialfibrillation in a group of patients with atrioventricular junctionalreentrant tachycardia and to compare it with that of patientswith a Kent-type ventricular pre-excitation (Wolff-Parkinson-Whitesyndrome) and a control group. One hundred and twenty-five subjects were separated into groups.Group 1 comprised 49 Wolff-Parkinson-White patients, with amean age of 26.4, range 10.66 years; group 2, 51 patients withatrioventricular junctional reentrant tachycardia inducibleby transoesophageal atrial stimulation andlor clinically documented,with a mean age of 43.4, range 16–78 years; group 3, 25control subjects with a mean age of2.64, range 13–76 years. Each subject underwent atrial transoesophageal stimulation withthe following protocol: programmed atrial stimulation with 1and 2 stimuli during atrial pacing of 100. min^–1 and 150.min^–1; atrial stimulation for 10 s at a rate of 200–300–400–500–600.min^–1 with intervals of 10 s between stimulations, fivesuccessive ‘ramp-up’ atrial stimulations for 9 swith the rate increasing from 100 to 800. min^–1 with intervalsof 10 s between stimulations. The end point was the completionof the protocol or induction of sustained atrial fibrillation(>1 min). The chi-square test was used for statistical analysis. Our resultsshowed that in group 1 atrial fibrillation was induced in 27149patients (55.1%); this was sustained in 13149 (26.5%) and non-sustainedin 14149 (28.5%); in group 2, atrial fibrillation was inducedin 22151 patients (43.0%); it was sustained in 7151 (13.7%)and non-sustained in 15151 (29.4%); in group 3, sustained atrialfibrillation was not induced in any subject and in only onesubject was a non-sustained atrial fibrillation (4 s) induced. The chi-square test showed that group 2 vs group 1 were non-significant,while group 2 vs group 3 and group 1 vs group 3 were significant(P<0.003 and P<0.0007, respectively). Therefore group 2 patients showed a greater atrial vulnerabilityin comparison to the control subjects and a similar vulnerabilityto group 1 patients. It is possible that the greater atrialvulnerability in the patients of group 2 was due to the doublenodal pathway.     

Treating patients with lupus with B-cell depletion

A new era in the treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus has dawned with the increasing introduction of monoclonal antibodies and other approaches, that target the key molecules involved in the pathogenesis of the disease. At present the ability to block the CD20 molecule on those B cells that carry this marker has proved the most effective way to treat patients resistant to conventional immunosuppressive drugs. However, these studies have all been open label and the results of double blind controlled studies are eagerly awaited.