Effect of acute ventricular pressure changes on QRS duration
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Updated: Nov 11, 2026

Methods for ECG Evaluation of Indicators of Cardiac Risk, and Susceptibility to Aconitine-induced Arrhythmias in Rats Following Status Epilepticus
Published on: April 5, 2011
D A Sideris1, S T Toumanidis, K Kostopoulos
1Department of Clinical Therapeutics, Medical School of Athens University, Ioannina, Greece.
Abstract:
The effect of acute changes in ventricular pressure is examined on the QRS duration to clarify the mechanism of ventricular pressure-related arrhythmogenesis. Ventricular pressure was changed acutely by arterial transfusion-bleeding into an open-air ventricular pressure reservoir that was either off or on a metaraminol intravenous drip. While maintaining ventricular pressure at several levels, the QRS duration was measured at 200 mm/s paper speed. The QRS duration correlated significantly with the left ventricular pressure in all 14 dogs examined. An average change in ventricular by 100 mmHg was associated with a change of about 18% in the QRS duration. An acute ventricular pressure elevation impairs the ventricular conduction, which may contribute to ventricular pressure-related arrhythmogenicity.
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