[Effect of psychological stress on the development of arrhythmia in patients with acute myocardial infarction].

The effect of mental stress was demonstrated on the development of arrhythmias in patients after acute myocardial infarction. During 24-hour Holter's monitoring (3 weeks after infarction onset) a stressful psychological experiment (free association test) was carried out on the patients observing their reactions during the experiment, and heart action during and after it. During the experiment changes were observed in heart action such as increased heart rate, appearance or intensification of quantitative and qualitative ventricular arrhythmias. The authors discuss the relationship between mental stress and the development of arrhythmias.