Anatomic studies of the cardiac conducting system in acute myocardial infarction

Abstract

The anatomic changes in the cardiac conducting fibers were studied in 20 patients who developed atrioventricular and intraventricular conduction disturbances in the course of acute myocardial infarction. In 12 of these cases there was no apparent morphologic injury to the conducting fibers, and in 5 of 8 cases with focal necrosis of the conducting tissue the involvement was of relatively minor severity. These facts correlate with the transient nature of the conduction defect in most survivors.