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Ventricular Fibrillation Produced by Stimulation of External Transthoracic Electrodes—An Experimental Study
Author(s) -
VOORHEES CHRISTINE R.,
VOORHEES WILLIAM D.,
GEDDES LESLIE A.,
BOURLAND JOE D.,
HINDS MARVIN
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
pacing and clinical electrophysiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.686
H-Index - 101
eISSN - 1540-8159
pISSN - 0147-8389
DOI - 10.1111/j.1540-8159.1992.tb03075.x
Subject(s) - medicine , ventricular fibrillation , pulse (music) , cardiology , stimulation , pulse duration , anesthesia , duration (music) , electrode , atrial fibrillation , pentobarbital , fibrillation , electrical engineering , voltage , acoustics , laser , chemistry , physics , optics , engineering
The threshold for ventricular fibrillation was determined in 12 pentobarbital anesthetized dogs using transthoracic electrodes located at the optimal axillary electroventilation sites. Electroventilation is the name used to designate inspiration produced by stimuli applied to body surface electrodes. The optimal stimulation site for electroventilation was first determined using hand‐held electrodes. Then electrodes, 4.1 cm in diameter, were sutured bilaterally to the optimal anterior axillary stimulation site. The threshold current for producing ventricular fibrillation was determined using single pulses ranging from 0.1–10 msec in duration delivered during the vulnerable period of the cardiac cycle. Fibrillation was produced in all dogs with the 10‐ and 5‐msec pulse durations, in 11 dogs with 0.3‐msec, in 6 dogs with 0.2‐msee, and in 1 dog with 0.1‐msec pulse duration. In all dogs, the current required to produce ventricular fibrillation increased greatly as the pulse duration was decreased. The current required for fibrillation was much in excess of that required to produce one tidal volume. With the longer duration pulses, the ratio was about 80. With the 8 μsec duration pulses used for electroventilation the estimated ratio is about 800.