Federal State Budgetary Institution “Research Institute for Cardiology” of Siberian Branch of the RAMS, Tomsk, Russian Federation
*Corresponding author: Professor Sergey A. Afanasiev, PhD, ScD. FSBI “RI Cardiology” SB RAMS. 111a Kievskaya Street, Tomsk, 634012, Russia. Phone: +7 3822 440511. E-mail: tursky@cardio-tomsk.ru
Published: June 25, 2013
Background: The aim of our study was to examine the possibility of ventricular extrasystole (VES) management in CAD (coronary artery disease) patients by attenuating the sympathetic activity with a course of electrical stimulation of the vagus nerve.
Methods: A decrease in sympathetic tone was achieved via vagus nerve electrical stimulation (VNES). VNES was performed in 48 male CAD patients, mean age 53.5±4.1 years. Antiarrhythmic drug therapy was canceled prior to VNES therapy. The effect of VNES on heart rate variability (HRV) and VES were carefully studied. All the patients received a 24-hour ECG monitoring. HRV was calculated for high frequency (HF) and low frequency (LF) bands and the LF/HF index was determined.
Results: Immediately following VNES therapy, 30 patients (group 1) reported alleviation of angina signs and the LF/HF index was significantly decreased (p=0.001). Eighteen patients (group 2) showed no change either in health or the LF/HF index. According to ECG and echocardiography, the VES number did not significantly change immediately after VNES therapy. One month after the VNES course, group 1 reported further improvement in health; the LF/HF index approached normal values. In group 2, the LF/HF significantly decreased (p=0.043). However, in the entire study sample, the VES number significantly decreased overall (p=0.025).
Conclusion: VNES attenuated the cardiac effects of hypersympathicotonia decreased the ischemic impact on the myocardium, alleviated the cardiac angina signs, and beneficially influenced the VES number in CAD patients.
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Int J Biomed. 2013; 3(2):74-77. © 2013 International Medical Research and Development Corporation. All rights reserved.
