CLINICAL AND ELECTROCARDIOGRAPHIC PRODROM ES OF FATAL CARDIAC-ARRHYTHMIAS IN PATIENTS WITH ACUTE MYOCARDIAL-INFARCTION

The authors made a retrospective analysis of case histories of 201 pat ients who had died of fatal cardiac arrhythmias, The predictors of the ir death were ventricular fibrillation in 133 (66.2%) patients, asysto le in 68 (32,8%), electromechanical dissociation in 2 (1%). Terminal s inus tachycardia, atrial fibrillation and flutter, the second-third de gree atrioventricular block, the third-fifth grade ventricular extrasy stole were the most common clinical and electrocardiographic prodromes of ventricular fibrillation. In the development of the latter, variou s mixed disturbances of cardiac rhythm and conduction in combination w ith prolonged Q-T interval were of more unfavarouble value. Asystole w as more frequently preceded by the second-third degree atrioventricula r block, complete bundle branch block, third-fifth grade ventricular e xtrasystole, atrial fibrillation and flutter,and various mixed disturb ances of cardiac rhythm and conduction. Cardiac arrhythmias and conduc tion disturbance with prolonged Q-T interval were found to be precurso rs of asystole in 84.8%.