The effect of angiocardiography on the heart as measured by electrocardiographic alterations

Six consecutive patients studied by angiocardiography or aortography ranging in age from 1½ to 68 years were checked by a direct-writer type of electrocardiograph during the procedure. The clinical entities consisted of pulmonary stenosis, coarctation of the aorta, aneurysm of the ascending aorta, ventricular septal defect (2 cases), and atrial septal defect associated with complete transposition of the great vessels. Following angiocardiography immediate T-wave depression was noted. This was followed within three minutes by the development of short bursts of ventricular tachycardia lasting up to 27 minutes after dye injection. A different and much less spectacular picture followed aortography. None of these cases showed visible distress.