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Medical Aspects of Chemical Warfare (2008) - The Black Vault

Medical Aspects of Chemical Warfare (2008) - The Black Vault

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<strong>Medical</strong> <strong>Aspects</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Chemical</strong> <strong>Warfare</strong>Fig. 11-6. Electrocardiogram from a cyanide-intoxicated individual. <strong>The</strong> P-wave (the atrial depolarization) is eliminated, andST-segment deviation, usually a rise in the slope, becomes noticeable, followed by modulation <strong>of</strong> the T-wave. <strong>The</strong> changedmorphology is expressed in steepening and coalescing <strong>of</strong> the QRS and the T-waves. A J-wave becomes noticeable.Reprinted with permission from: Wexler J, Whittenberger JL, Dumke PR. <strong>The</strong> effect <strong>of</strong> cyanide on the electrocardiogram <strong>of</strong>man. Am Heart J. 1947; 34:170.dependent I KATP, 197 the osmotic swelling-activatedI Cl,swell, and the calcium-dependent I Ca-L. <strong>The</strong> disequilibriumin the membrane currents caused by cyanidehas grave implications for the cell’s electrophysiology.Cyanide-caused cardiac toxicity shares some commonalitywith ischemia but is different in the level <strong>of</strong> acidity<strong>of</strong> the tissue and the nature <strong>of</strong> some <strong>of</strong> the activatedcurrents. A number <strong>of</strong> ancillary effects, including enhancedcatecholamine secretion where CA binds to αand β receptors that affect membrane currents, increasein free Mg 2+ , and pH changes also occur. 54,198–200Computational ModelsECGs and action potential morphologies aremarkers <strong>of</strong> the electrophysiological state <strong>of</strong> cardiactissue. High-performance computer simulations <strong>of</strong>the electrophysiology <strong>of</strong> the three types <strong>of</strong> cardiaccells—endocardial, midmyocardial, and epicardial—model the impact <strong>of</strong> specific changes to identified ioniccurrents on cardiac electrophysiology. 201–204 Usuallydormant currents appear to be critical to understand-Voltage (mV)40200-20-40-60-800 200 400Time (ms)Fig. 11-7. <strong>The</strong> effect <strong>of</strong> cyanide on a ventricular cell. <strong>The</strong>red curve shows the change in the resting voltage and thedrastically shortened cycle length. <strong>The</strong> green curve is theunaffected condition; the red curve shows the affected cellvoltage.Voltage (mV)1.21.00.80.60.40.20-0.2-0.4-0.6-0.80 200 400Time (ms)Fig. 11-8. <strong>The</strong> change in the electrocardiogram (ECG) causedby the presence <strong>of</strong> cyanide in the tissue. <strong>The</strong> red curve showsthe normal ECG, with T-wave present. <strong>The</strong> blue curve showsthe effect <strong>of</strong> cyanide on the ECG. <strong>The</strong> cyanide-affected tissueshows considerable morphological changes and elimination<strong>of</strong> the repolarization.392

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