Show The Off OffBeat Beat Heart Heal t Researchers think they have found a as well as a away away away way of correcting a heart heartbeat heartbeat heartbeat beat irregularity that has long puzzled medical men men CALLED Wolfe-Parkinson- Wolfe White Syndrome this abnormality abnormality abnor abnor- mality affects about one percent percent percent per per- cent of the population In some patients is mild and does not produce any serious effects effects In others however it can bring on very fast contractions of the ven- ven tides the hearts heart's lower cham cham- ber These step out-of-step rhythms may be sufficiently severe to produce threatening life-threatening heart failure DR E. E NEIL Moore of the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine and Dr John Boineau of Duke University Medical Center in Durham N. N C. C found that some extra heart fibers were at fault m in and that the condition when it is severe severe se se- severe vere enough to warrant it is correctable by surgery In an interview Dr Moore an established investigator of the American Heart Assoc explained that appears to be brought about by a short circuit in the electrical electrical cal network that carries the muscle contracting s signal i g n a I 1 through the heart The electrocardiogram electrocardiogram electrocardiogram elec elec- is a record of this signal NORMALLY the signal which originates in a bunch of specialized muscle cells in inthe inthe inthe the upper right chamber or right atrium is delayed by the V A-V node before it is allowed to pass into the lower Jower chambers Dr Moore said that he and Dr Boineau discovered a dog with naturally occurring Their studies turned up the first direct evidence of the existence of accessory fibers that passed by-passed or shorted the V A-V node Thus the signal traveled into the ventricle before before before be be- fore time thereby disturbing the regular electrical patterns that govern the normal heart beat DR MOORE said that such fibers were subsequently found in three human patients with s is serious When these fibers fi fibers fi- fi bers hers were surgically removed the patients reverted to a normal normal nor nor- normal mal heart rhythm A full report of the doctors doctor's studies appeared in the March issue of Circulation a medical journal published by the American Ameri Amen can Heart Association tion |