[Postextrasystolic potential in patients with a left ventricular postinfarct aneurysm]

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Cardiac Surgery
• Cardiovascular Physiology

Background:

• Postinfarction left ventricular aneurysm affects myocardial function, leading to asynergic regions.
• Assessing the viability of these dysfunctional areas is crucial for surgical planning.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the effect of postextrasystolic potentiation (PEP) on asynergic myocardial regions.
• To evaluate PEP's utility in assessing myocardial vitality and guiding surgical decisions in postinfarction aneurysm patients.

Main Methods:

• Contrast ventriculography was used to evaluate 18 patients with postinfarction left ventricular aneurysm.
• The study compared contractions following extrasystoles with control contractions.

Main Results:

• A statistically significant increase in the extension of hypokinetic zones was observed due to reduced akinetic regions.
• A significant reduction in the size of hypokinetic zones and an increased ejection fraction from the contractile segment were noted.
• Postextrasystolic potentiation demonstrated a positive effect on the function of asynergic myocardial areas.

Conclusions:

• Postextrasystolic potentiation is a valuable tool for assessing the vitality of asynergic myocardial regions.
• PEP can assist in determining resection borders and the expediency of revascularization during aneurysmectomy.
• This technique offers insights for optimizing surgical strategies in managing left ventricular aneurysms.