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Europace 1999 1(2):85-95; doi:10.1053/eupc.1998.0022
© 1999 by European Society of Cardiology
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Electrophysiological profile after inward rectifier K channel blockade by barium in isolated rabbit hearts. Altered repolarization and unmasked decremental conduction property

M.-H. Wu, M.-J. Su and S.S.M. Sun

Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University Taipei, Taiwan; *Institute of Pharmacology, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University Taipei, Taiwan

AIMS: The aims of this study were to define the changes of cardiac conduction properties after selective IK1blockade in isolated hearts.

METHODS AND RESULTS: Intracardiac recording and stimulation in Langendorff-perfused rabbit hearts were used to define cardiac conduction properties after Ba2+, a well known IK1blocker. Ba2+prolonged the corrected QT interval and decreased, or even abolished, the amplitude of the T wave. The conduction time through the sinoatrial (SA interval), the atrioventricular node (AH interval) and His-Purkinje system (HV interval) were not significantly changed. However, at higher atrial pacing rates the HV interval was lengthened by Ba2+in a frequency-dependent manner. The recovery curve of the His-Purkinje system (the relationship of H2V2to V1H2) was changed by Ba2+to a prematurity-dependent pattern (AV nodal behaviour). Such a response was neither observed with 4-aminopyridine (Itoblocker) nor with d-sotalol (IKblocker). The atrial and ventricular refractory periods as well as the relative refractoriness (measured by the difference between relative refractory period and the absolute refractory period) of the ventricular tissue were increased by Ba2+.

CONCLUSION: The electrophysiological profile of selective IK1block in isolated hearts revealed altered repolarization of cardiac tissue. The decremental conduction properties, which are normally present in the atrioventricular node (with a paucity of IK1), were unmasked by IK1block in the His-Purkinje system. The T wave, particularly its amplitude, is more closely related to IK1than to Ito.

Key Words: Barium, decremental cardiac conduction, inward rectifier K current, K channel, isolated rabbit heart electrophysiology

Correspondence: Mei-Hwan Wu, MD, Department of Pediatrics, National Taiwan University Hospital, No. 7 Chung-Shen South Road, Taipei, Taiwan, 100.


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