[24-hour recording in personnel employed in the intensive cardiac care unit]

The authors, expecting confirmation of arrhythmogenic effects of work at the Intensive Cardiological Care Unit (ICCU), recorded a 24-hour ECG in the employed staff. Together 20 healthy individuals (mean age 31.6 years) were tested. ECG was recorded twice at the unit, and repeated at home. Ventricular arrhythmia was noted in 60% of tested individuals at home (mean number of excitations 6 per 24 hours). It was 2.5 times more frequent at ICCU (mean number of excitations 15 per 24 hours) involving 75% of tested individuals. Atrial arrhythmia was noted also in 60% of the tested individuals at home (mean number 16 per 24 hours) whereas it was noted in 85% of the tested individuals at ICCU, i.e. 2.5 times more frequently than at home (mean value 40/24 hours). Both atrial and ventricular arrhythmias are significantly more frequent during night rest at ICCU than that at home. Results suggest that the employment at ICCU is arrhythmogenic.