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ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Changes in R-R and Q-T Intervals Following Cardiac Vagotomy in Neonatal Swine

Muhammad S. Khan^*, Ning Zhao, Anthony L. Sica, Norman Gootman^*, and Phyllis M. Gootman^*,,1

^* Department of Pediatrics, SUNY Health Science Center Hospital, New York, New York 11203;
Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, SUNY Downstate Medical Center at Brooklyn, Brooklyn, New York 11203;
Department of Medicine, Long Island Jewish Medical Center, Clinical Campus of Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New Hyde Park, New York 11042

Asymmetric innervation of the myocardium, especially a predominance of sympathetic innervation, may establish conditions whereby electrical instability could result. Using a swine animal model, we studied the effect of right cardiac vagal denervation on the variability of R-R and Q-T intervals. Newborn pigs were assigned randomly to two groups: sham-operated controls (C), or denervation of the right cardiac vagus nerve (RCVX). EKGs were recorded weekly until the two groups exhibited significant heart rate differences. Analysis of the EKG included measurements of R-R and Q-T intervals and corrected Q-T intervals (QTc). Poincaré plots were used to display age-related differences in R-R and Q-T intervals. For RCVX animals, decreased QTc and R-R intervals were noted at 6 and 7 weeks after denervation, respectively. Unexpectedly, one RCVX animal exhibited marked sudden pauses in sinus rhythm. These data indicated that reduced vagal cardiac modulation during development might alter cardiac electrical stability in conscious swine.