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The Use of Atrial Pacing to Evaluate Patients with Definite or Suspected Wolff‐Parkinson‐White Syndrome
Author(s) -
BASSAN MAYER M.,
GANNEM JIHAD
Publication year - 1982
Publication title -
pacing and clinical electrophysiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.686
H-Index - 101
eISSN - 1540-8159
pISSN - 0147-8389
DOI - 10.1111/j.1540-8159.1982.tb02216.x
Subject(s) - medicine , atrial fibrillation , cardiology , pathognomonic , accessory pathway , qrs complex , catheter ablation , disease
Four patients with definite or suspected WPW syndrome are presented in order to show that valuable clinical information can be obtained via simple atrial pacing. In three cases with a questionable resting ECG, atrial pacing produced pathognomonic changes in the QRS complex, eslablishing the diagnosis of WPW syndrome. In the fourth case, atrial pacing provoked the associated tachyarrhythmia, which had not previously been documented. In all four cases, functional properties of the accessory pathway could be assessed, and in three cases, the induction of atrial fibrillation allowed estimation of the risk of ventricular fibrillation. For evaluating patients with definite or suspected WPW syndrome, the technique of atrial pacing is recommended as an alternative to sophisticated electrophysiological studies which are costly and require special expertise and equipment. Airial pacing is easier, cheaper, and less traumatic, and for many patients will provide most, if not all, the necessary information. (PACE, Vol. 5, March‐April, 1982)