Recommended Citation Rotenberg, Fred A., "THE EFFECT OF CAFFEINE ON CARDIAC VULNERABILITY TO TACHYARRHYTHMIA IN THE RAT " (1977). Open Access Master's Theses. Paper 221. THE EFFECT OF CAFFEINE ON CARDIAC VULNERABILITY TO TACHYARRHYTHMIA IN THE RAT BY

ABSTRAr,T Ventricular fibrillation ls one of the primary causes of early sudden death associated with myocardial infarction (Lown ~ ~ 1g59). Although Bell et.!!.!. gJ_,_ 1972) have shown that caffeine infusion increases susceptibility to ventricular fibrillation in the dog, the question of the effect of daily caffeine consumption on cardiac vulnerability remains unanswered. Retrospective clinical studies examining the assoc Tat ion of coffee consumption on heart disease cloud the long term effect of caffeine on cardiac vulnerahil lty to arrhythmia in that they are often complicated by differences i n each group's level of cigarette smoking, blood pressure, effects of lon