[Long term ECG monitoring post myocardial infarction during a representative programme of TV-broadcasts (author's...

Five patients with myocardial infarction were presented a completely representative television programme of 60 hours in order to examine the cardiac strain caused by consumption of television. During a period of 31 days they saw 108 selected TV-broadcasts. Heart activities were registered by long-time-ECG tapes and subjective data on wellbeing were recorded. The results show a total of 197 ES in 300 hours (149 VES and 48 SVES), six times VES by pairs and three times VES in bursts was seen. In one case an ST-decrease was found. There was no systematic correlation between ECG-changes, subjective disorders, and subjective preference of items on one hand and type, day-time and duration of the features on the other hand. The results of the study are regarded within the framework of a psycho-physiological stress paradigm. They may be generalized in such a way that watching television to a normal extent does not differ in its cardiac disturbances or cardiac strain from many other psychological activities in everyday postmyocardial-infarction life.