Browsing by Author "Weymar, H. W."

Now showing 1 - 6 of 6
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    Effects of nifedipine on the peri-operative ECG, as determined by continuous Holter monitoring : a double-blind study
    (Health & Medical Publishing Group, 1986-03) Du Toit, H. J.; Weich, H. F. H.; Weymar, H. W.; Przybojewski, J. Z.
    A double-blind study was performed on 50 elderly patients undergoing hip-replacement surgery under general anaesthesia; 26 were given nifedipine and the remaining 24 placebo to determine effects on the continuously monitored (Holter) ECG during the 4 peri-operative days. Drugs were only administered during the latter 3 days of the observation period. Surgery was performed on the morning of the 3rd day. A striking feature was a high incidence of arrhythmias in both groups of patients, a finding previously documented in both 'normal' and elderly people. A decrease in ST-segment changes was expected in the nifedipine-treated patients. An unexpected finding, therefore, was the lack of protection against cardiac ischaemic changes in the nifedipine-treated patients compared with the placebo patients. Interpretation of the ST segment as seen in the Holter-monitored ECG remains controversial. We have no clear explanation for the lack of protection against ischaemic changes. The effects of profound vasodilatation produced by nifedipine in elderly patients subjected to major surgery, general anaesthesia including administration of enflurane, and a variable amount of blood loss in the postoperative period may be important factors. In conclusion, one should perhaps be cautious of nifedipine administration under these circumstances.
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    Holter monitoring at Tygerberg Hospital, 1979-1983 : an appraisal
    (Health & Medical Publishing Group, 1984) Ellis, G. C.; Przybojewski, J. Z.; Weymar, H. W.
    Over a period of 4 years Holter monitoring was performed on 607 patients in the Division of Cardiology at Tygerberg Hospital. Indications for monitoring were broadly grouped into four categories: (i) evaluation of symptoms suggestive of disorders of cardiac rhythm (210 patients); (ii) evaluation of arrhythmias associated with a specific underlying cardiac condition (139 patients): (iii) evaluation of a previously documented or suspected arrhythmia (233 patients); and (iv) miscellaneous reasons (25 patients). Findings are presented and aspects of Holter monitoring are discussed. Finally, some recommendations for improving the clinical value of our Holter analyses are made.
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    Progressive familial heart block (type I) : a follow-up study after 10 years
    (Health & Medical Publishing Group, 1988) Van der Merwe, P.-L.; Weymar, H. W.; Torrington, M.; Brink, A. J.
    A follow-up study was done on 55 patients, all members of families with type I progressive familial heart block (PFHB) examined during 1977. Of the 55 patients 5 had died, 17 had normal ECGs while 7 with previously abnormal ECGs remained unchanged. All the others had progressed to a more severe form of heart block and 8 of them had received permanent pacemakers. These findings again emphasise the importance of regular ECG follow-up examinations of members of PFHB families.
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    Progressive familial heart block type I : clinical and pathological observations
    (Health & Medical Publishing Group, 1991) Van der Merwe, P.-L.; Rose, A. G.; Van der Walt, J. J.; Weymar, H. W.; Hunter, J. C.; Weich, H. F. H.
    Progressive familial heart block type I (PFHB-I) is an autosomal inherited disease. It was previously postulated that the disease is limited to the cardiac conduction tissue. The presentation of a patient with dilated cardiomyopathy focused on the possibility that this might be part of PFHB-I. This observation led to routine echocardiographic examination of patients with complete heart block, who belonged to PFHB-I families, and another 5 cases with signs of dilated cardiomyopathy were identified. This is the first time, to our knowledge, that the histological picture of PFHB-I has been described. From these case reports it is clear that in the presence of a dilated cardiomyopathy the prognosis in PFHB-I tends to be poor.
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    Progressive familial heart block: Part I. Extent of the disease
    (Health & Medical Publishing Group, 1986-09) Torrington, Marie; Weymar, H. W.; Van der Merwe, P.-L.; Brink, A. J.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Progressive familial heart block (type I) has been identified in the RSA. Since 1977 many families have been referred for pedigree tracing. The present probands of some 9 pedigrees are the descendants of specific children of an immigrant; other genetic diseases appear in these pedigrees. The necessity of identifying, diagnosing and possibly treating the descendants of carriers is emphasized.
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    Progressive familial heart block: Part II. clinical and ECG confirmation of progression - report on 4 cases
    (Health & Medical Publishing Group, 1986-09) Van der Merwe, P. L.; Weymar, H. W.; Torrington, M.; Brink, A. J.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Two types of progressive familial heart block controlled by a single gene have been described; 4 cases show that type I is progressive and that the pathogenesis is still unknown.