Beta-adrenergic Blockade and Atrio--ventricular Conduction Impairment

Atrio--ventricular conduction and its modifications induced by six Beta-adrenergic blocking agents have been investigated in the dog. Premature atrial stimuli (St2) were applied at variable intervals following regular stimuli (St1) ensuring atrial pacing; atrial (AERP), nodoventricular (NERP) and global (GERP) effective refractory periods as well as global functional refractory period (GFRP) were determined before and after administration of each of the six drugs. When Beta-blockade was produced with d,1-propranolol which hwas membrane stabilizing effects (MSE) but no intrinsic sympathomimetic activity (ISA) or with sotalol, which has neither MSE nor ISA, all parameters were significantly increased. When Beta-blockade was achieved with pindolol or practolol, which have only a poor Beta-adrenolytic potency and no ISA. Alprenolol showed intermediate effects. Thus, it appears that Beta-blockade and not MSE, is responsible for the onset of A-V conduction impairment but that ISA, probably through a metabolic mechanism, affords protection against this impairment. On the other hand, measurement of ventricular effective refractory period (VERP) has shown that at the Purkinje-free junction, it is MSE which is mainly involved in conduction impairment.