Abstract

The effects of isoprenaline on the induction of supraventricular tachycardia by programmed stimulation were studied in 67 patients to see whether they correlated with spontaneous catecholamine mediated symptoms during exercise testing and Holter monitoring. Thirty seven control patients (group 1) did not have spontaneous arrhythmias either during exercise testing or Holter monitoring. Thirty patients (group 2) had documented exercise or stress related supraventricular tachycardias--that is paroxysmal junctional tachycardia (24) or atrial arrhythmia (6). Programmed electrical stimulation was performed before and during the infusion of isoprenaline. No group 1 patient developed sustained supraventricular tachycardia during isoprenaline infusion. In 21 patients with paroxysmal junctional tachycardia and all the patients with atrial arrhythmias electrical stimulation during isoprenaline infusion produced the same tachycardia that had been seen during exercise testing and Holter monitoring. Changes in electrophysiological variables and the concentrations of serum potassium were not associated with the induction of supraventricular tachycardia by isoprenaline. Infusion of isoprenaline safely facilitated the induction of supraventricular tachycardia by programmed stimulation in patients who had spontaneously occurring catecholamine mediated symptoms.