| Abstract: | Programmed ventricular stimulation was performed in 41 patients with recent angina pectoris (RAP, defined as less than 3 months old), 14 patients after large focal myocardial infarction (MI) and 9 patients without organic heart disease (WHD). The prevalence and number of repetitive ventricular responses (RVR) after programmed stimulation with one to three extra stimuli (2 ms, 2 MDS) from 2 right-ventricular sites at sinus rhythm and three basic pacing cycle lengths (600, 500 and 400 ms) were compared in RAP, MI and WHD patients. In 56% of WHD patients, 32% of RAP patients, and 22% of MI patients, RVRs were absent. Five or more RVR were provoked in MI patients only (43%). The incidence of ventricular fibrillation during programmed stimulation was 2.5% in RAP patients and 22% in MI patients. Differences in incidence are not significant, but show the influence of the severity or organic coronary arterial and left-ventricular damage on the prevalence of RVRs. Programmed stimulation seems to have no diagnostic value for the detection of electrical instability in RAP patients without a history of MI. |
