[The electrocardiography image of atrial arrest]

Abstract

11 patients, aged 36 to 85 years, 5 men and 6 women, with atrial standstill are described. Except for one patient they had organic heart disease (coronary heart disease, 4 patients; valvular heart disease, 6 patients). The extent of standstill was assessed by intra-atrial recording and stimulation. A permanent form was seen in 6 patients: 3 patients presented with a total, the other 3 with a partial atrial standstill. In 5 patients a transient atrial standstill was diagnosed, 2 with a total and 3 with a partial form of standstill. One of the latter patients presented with a hitherto undescribed feature: a partial atrial standstill induced by isolated hyperkalemia.