Electrocardiogram changes caused by arterial infusion chemotherapy: an analysis of 64 cases

Objective: To discuss the cardiac toxicity of anthracycline by observing the electrocardiogram which recording the routs of administration by arteries providing nutrients to the tumor.Methods: Eighty-eight cases which were pathologically diagnosed as midadvanced malignant tumor were randomly divided into group A and group B (44 cases for each group).The chemotherapy regimen for both groups consisted of adriamycin + cisplatin + fluorouracil.In group A,regional perfusion through main coronary arteries of tumors was used alone for 56 times;in Group B,combined application of perfusion,regionally and super-selectively,with integration of multi-targeted intubation,reasonable and flexible embolization,low-dose of medication and perfusion according to proportion of blood supply,was conducted for 88 times.Infusion chemotherapy and embolization were conducted 144 times altogether.The conventional 12-lead ecg was recorded 10 minutes,24 hours and 48 hours after operation and drug injection.Results: Eighty-eight patients' electrocardiograms were normal during the process of pre-intubation and while-intubation.After conducting anticancer drug perfusion for 144 times,64 cases presented changes of electrocardiograms (44.5%),and the incidence rate of arrhythmia was 58.1% in group A.The difference between the two groups was statistically significant (P<0.01).The incidence of arrhythmia in patients aged above or equal to 60 was higher than that aged between 50 and 59 (P<0.05).Conclusions: Regarding to the two methods of interventional chemotherapy,the incidence of arrhythmia is higher in Group A.That implies that the cardiac toxicity initiated by the method used in Group A is not different from that initiated by the method of intravenous chemotherapy,and such effect occurs frequently among the elderly,which should be highly alerted to in the process of interventional chemotherapy.