In an effort to standardize terminology and criteria for clinical electrocardiography, and as a follow-up of its work on definitions of terms related to cardiac rhythm, an Ad Hoc Working Group established by the World Health Organization and the International Society and Federation of Cardiology reviewed criteria for the diagnosis of conduction disturbances and pre-excitation. Recommendations resulting from these discussions are summarized for the diagnosis of complete and incomplete right and left bundle branch block, left anterior and left posterior fascicular block, nonspecific intraventricular block, Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome and related pre-excitation patterns. Criteria for intraatrial conduction disturbances are also briefly reviewed. The criteria are described in clinical terms. A concise description of the criteria using formal Boolean logic is given in the Appendix. For the incorporation into computer electrocardiographic analysis programs, the limits of some interval measurements may need to be adjusted.

Brismar K, Mogensen L, Wetterberg L (Karolinska Institute, ). Depressed melatonin secretion in patients with nightmares due to B-adrenoceptor blocking agents. Acta Med Scand 1987; 221: 155-8.Nocturnal urinary melatonin excretion was evaluated in six patients with nightmares and hallucinations during treatment with &adrenoceptor blocking agents, and compared to six control patients with similar diagnoses and treatment but without such symptoms from the central nervous system (CNS). Nightly melatonin excretion was lower in all cases with nightly CNS-symptoms than in the control patients. The results also suggest drug differences and dose dependency. It is concluded that in predisposed patients CNS side-effects induced by / Iadrenoceptor antagonists are related to depressed nightly melatonin secretion.

Summary: Percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) was performed on 146 saphenous vein grafts in I16 patients. In 29 patients, 3 1 grafts were totally occluded. Myocardial staining lasting over 5 minutes-"the blush phenomenon"-followed the opening of the occluded grafts in 9 of these patients. In 5 of these 9, enzyme release suggested infarction. A sixth patient died within a few hours of PTCA, with suspected infarction. Autopsy demonstrated diffuse and extensive distal coronary arterial embolization of grumous material, including cholesterol crystals, platelets, and fibrin. The blush phenomenon was not seen following PTCA in the remaining 20 patients with total occlusions, nor in any of the 87 patients with stenosed grafts. We have not observed the blush phenomenon following PTCA of more than 3300 coronary arteries. Of the 9 patients demonstrating the blush phenomenon, 6 had a recent history of myocardial infarction or unstable angina pectoris, compared with 4 of the remaining 20 patients with occluded grafts. We now approach occluded grafts with injection of intragraft thrombolytic agents or with atherectomy prior to PTCA. Future approaches may include atherectomy or laser angioplasty.

No abstract