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Is Chronic Atrial Stimulation a Reliable Method for Single Chamber Pacing in Sick Sinus Syndrome?
Author(s) -
MAST E. GIJS,
HEMEL NORBERT M.,
BAKEMA LEX,
DERKSEN BERT,
DEFAUW JO A.M.
Publication year - 1986
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.1540-8159.1986.tb06681.x
Subject(s) - medicine , sick sinus syndrome , sss* , cardiology , cardiac pacing , atrioventricular block , supraventricular tachycardia , implant , anesthesia , surgery , tachycardia
To evaluate the feasibility of chronic atrial pacing (AAI) in sick sinus syndrome (SSS), 22 patients (pts) with bradytachycardia syndrome (BTS) and 17 patients with only bradyarrhythmias (BA) were studied on the incidence of supraventricular tachycardias (SVT) and occurring AV block. A scoring system based on symptoms of SVT was developed (grade 0–5). All patients had proven normal AV conduction before PM implantation. In the BTS‐group, nine patients (41%) had symptomatic SVT at the end of follow‐up (mean 53 months), despite drug therapy. These patients had a high SVT score on entry (mean 3.2). High degree AV block occurred in three patients. Although in the BA‐group SVT arose in six patients (35%), there was only one symptomatic patient at the end of follow‐up (mean 36 months). In this group, only one patient developed high degree AV block. Atrial stimulation should be considered as a reliable therapy in patients with SSS and low SVT score before PM implantation when normal AV conduction is present.