Clinical and physiological findings when the cardiac contraction is incoordinate compared with those found in matched cases with well-coordinated hearts.

A group of patients in whom the Bcg, the pulse derivative and the ventriculogram all agreed that cardiac incoordination was present has been compared with another group in which the same three tests agreed that the heartbeat was well coordinated. By pairing the cases we have demonstrated that those with cardiac incoordination showed significantly more angina pectoris, more coronary arteriosclerosis, more abnormal electrocardiograms, a slowed pulse rate and a smaller ejection fraction than did the corresponding cases. The other physiological functions measured were not significantly different in the two groups. Evidently, incoordination of the cardiac contraction is associated with other evidences of severe coronary heart disease. One can regard it as the physiological consequences of the irregular interruptions of coronary blood supply which characterize the pathological anatomy of this disease, and can expect it to appear late in its course.