TY - JOUR
T1 - Development of cardiac innervation, ventricular fibrillation, and sudden infant death syndrome
AU - Stramba-Badiale, M.
AU - Lazzarotti, M.
AU - Schwartz, P. J.
PY - 1992
Y1 - 1992
N2 - The effects of bilateral vagotomy and of right, left, and bilateral stellectomy on sinus node and on ventricular fibrillation threshold (VFT) were assessed in three groups of puppies (1, 3, and 5 wk old) and one group of adult dogs. Heart rate was increased by vagotomy and reduced by right stellectomy in all groups. After vagotomy, VFT did not change in the first week, while it decreased in the third week (-21%, P <0.0001), in the fifth week (-20%, P <0.001) and in the adults dogs (-18%, P <0.005). VFT was not modified by right stellectomy in the first week and in the fifth week (0%, NS), while it decreased in the third week (-28%, P <0.05) and in the adults (-32%, P <0.001). Left stellectomy, performed after right stellectomy, increased VFT in the third week (+52%, P <0.05), in the fifth week (+62%, P <0.001), and in the adults (+45%, P <0.01). Thus removal of either vagal or right cardiac sympathetic activity increases susceptibility to ventricular fibrillation already during the first weeks of life. By contrast, removal of left sympathetic nerves increases cardiac electrical stability. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that a developmental abnormality in cardiac innervation may play a role in the genesis of some cases of sudden infant death syndrome.
AB - The effects of bilateral vagotomy and of right, left, and bilateral stellectomy on sinus node and on ventricular fibrillation threshold (VFT) were assessed in three groups of puppies (1, 3, and 5 wk old) and one group of adult dogs. Heart rate was increased by vagotomy and reduced by right stellectomy in all groups. After vagotomy, VFT did not change in the first week, while it decreased in the third week (-21%, P <0.0001), in the fifth week (-20%, P <0.001) and in the adults dogs (-18%, P <0.005). VFT was not modified by right stellectomy in the first week and in the fifth week (0%, NS), while it decreased in the third week (-28%, P <0.05) and in the adults (-32%, P <0.001). Left stellectomy, performed after right stellectomy, increased VFT in the third week (+52%, P <0.05), in the fifth week (+62%, P <0.001), and in the adults (+45%, P <0.01). Thus removal of either vagal or right cardiac sympathetic activity increases susceptibility to ventricular fibrillation already during the first weeks of life. By contrast, removal of left sympathetic nerves increases cardiac electrical stability. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that a developmental abnormality in cardiac innervation may play a role in the genesis of some cases of sudden infant death syndrome.
KW - autonomic nervous system
KW - left stellectomy
KW - Q-T interval
KW - right stellectomy
KW - vagotomy
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0026471174&partnerID=8YFLogxK
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M3 - Article
C2 - 1443203
AN - SCOPUS:0026471174
VL - 263
JO - American Journal of Physiology
JF - American Journal of Physiology
SN - 0363-6119
IS - 5 32-5
ER -