Abstract
Among 12 patients with varying types of heart disease presenting persistent premature contractions, including all the important etiologic, anatomic, and function combinations, epinephrin in a dose of 1 cc. in a solution of 1-1000 was injected hypodermically 18 times. Electrocardiograms of one minute duration on a previously selected lead were taken every five minutes; five before and five or more after the injection.
A considerable increase in the average number of premature contractions occurring per minute resulted in all cases beginning five minutes after the injection and enduring thirty minutes to one hour. Rise in blood pressure and slight increase in the heart rate in most instances accompanied this. Those with auricular premature contractions frequently developed ventricular premature contractions and vice versa, where they were not in evidence before the injection. Those with left ventricular premature contractions often developed right ventricular premature contractions and vice versa. Two or three ventricular premature contractions occurring together were not infrequent. In each patient with auriclar premature contractions, groups of four and five premature contractions in succession appeared. In one individual, free of premature contractions by means of quinidine, many appeared following it. In another, freed of premature contractions by means of digitalis, none appeared following injections of epinephrin. Apparent rhythmicity in the recurrence of the premature contractions often occur following injection. No variation from the basic normal sinus rhythm predominating ever occurred.
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