Plasma norepinephrine in exercise-induced ventricular tachycardia

The relation between plasma norepinephrine levels and the occurrence of ventricular tachycardia during exercise testing was prospectively evaluated in 17 patients. Ten patients had reproducible ventricular tachycardia exclusively during exercise or recovery, or both; 7 patients had ventricular tachy...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of the American College of Cardiology 1986-07, Vol.8 (1), p.11-17
Main Authors: Sokoloff, Neil M., Spielman, Scott R., Greenspan, Allan M., Rae, Alan P., Stephen Porter, R., Lowenthal, David T., Hakki, A.-Hamid, Iskandrian, Abdulmassih S., Kay, Harold R., Horowitz, Leonard N.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Aged
Biological and medical sciences
Cardiac dysrhythmias
Cardiology. Vascular system
Electrocardiography
Female
Heart
Heart Rate
Heart Ventricles - physiopathology
Humans
Male
Medical sciences
Middle Aged
Norepinephrine - blood
Physical Exertion
Propranolol
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Summary:The relation between plasma norepinephrine levels and the occurrence of ventricular tachycardia during exercise testing was prospectively evaluated in 17 patients. Ten patients had reproducible ventricular tachycardia exclusively during exercise or recovery, or both; 7 patients had ventricular tachycardia only during ambulatory electrocardiographic monitoring. The two groups did not differ in age, exercise duration, left ventricular ejection fraction at rest, heart rate throughout the exercise protocol, rest QTc interval, change in QTc interval during exercise, the presence of coronary artery disease or exercise-related myocardial ischemia. Furthermore, there was no difference between groups in plasma norepinephrine levels at rest, peak exercise or in the recovery period. Myocardial ischemia was detectable by thallium perfusion scan in only 2 of the 10 patients with exercise-induced ventricular tachycardia. The 10 patients with exercise-induced ventricular tachycardia underwent repeat exercise testing immediately after maximal intravenous beta-adrenergic blockade with propranolol. Although they had no change in exercise duration, ventricular tachycardia did not occur in 9 of these 10 patients. Plasma norepinephrine levels were significantly decreased compared with levels before beta-adrenergic blockade (p < 0.0002). Thus, plasma norepinephrine levels do not distinguish patients with reproducible exercise-induced ventricular tachycardia from otherwise comparable patients. Propranolol is highly effective in abolishing this arrhythmia and this effect is associated with decreased norepinephrine levels.
ISSN:0735-1097
1558-3597
DOI:10.1016/S0735-1097(86)80085-7