Contribution of the platinum-tipped electrode catheter to the diagnosis of cardiac arrhythmias

Eighty-six disturbances in cardiac rhythm were studied in 85 patients, with the use of the platinum-tipped hydrogen-sensitive electrode introduced percutaneously for magnification of atrial activity. Sixty of these were correctly diagnosed but 26 were inaccurately or incompletely diagnosed from the standard 12-lead electrocardiogram. Various rhythm disorders were encountered. Blocked ectopic atrial contractions simulated sinus arrest or atrial fibrillation, and aberrantly conducted beats resembled ectopic beats of ventricular origin. The technic was found singularly useful in the differential diagnosis of tachycardias with QRS prolongation and tachycardias when P waves could not be defined precisely in the surface tracing. The procedure often was performed at the patient's bedside; no significant complications were encountered during the study.