THE EFFECT OF CORONARY OCCLUSION UPON THE INITIAL PHASE OF THE VENTRICULAR COMPLEX IN PRECORDIAL LEADS

Abstract

In dogs and cats cardiac injury was produced by ligation of various coronary arteries by the cauterization of the heart muscle, the effect on precordial leads detd., and comparison, in both acute and survival exps., made with those observed in man. Injury to certain portions of the heart produced fairly characteristic changes in precordial leads. Frequent electrocardiographic studies were made during the acute, subacute and chronic stage of infarction. The effect of the size, location, and stage of the lesion was compared with the various electrocardiographic changes observed. These changes were similar to those observed in human tracing in which a lesion of similar location and stage of infarction were observed post mortem. Infarction of the anterior portion of the left ventricle resulted in a gradual diminution of the initial downward deflection with almost complete disappearance of this deflection. Infarction of the posterior wall produced no effect on the initial downward deflection.