AIMS Recently, some studies revealed the efficacy of pacemaker implantation in decreasing recurrences in patients with vasovagal syncope. As these studies were not blinded or placebo-controlled, the benefits observed might have been due to a bias in the assessment of outcomes or to a placebo effect of the pacemaker. We performed a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study in order to a...

The interstitial cells of Cajal (ICCs) are pacemakers in the gastrointestinal tract. The possibility of whether imatinib mesylate, a Kit receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor, modulates pacemaker activities in the ICC was examined using the whole cell patch clamp technique. Imatinib decreased the amplitude of pacemaker potentials in a dose-dependent manner in current-clamp mode. Because the effect...

INTRODUCTION Vegetative lead infection is an uncommon complication of permanent pacemaker implantation. The diagnosis is difficult using conventional imaging methods. CLINICAL PICTURE An elderly Indian woman with a history of diabetes mellitus developed Staphylococcus aureus infection after implementation of a permanent pacemaker. Following a non-diagnostic transthoracic echocardiogram, trans...

Superior vena cava (SVC) obstruction is an uncommon but serious complication associated with permanent pacemaker implantation. The mechanical stress associated with pacemaker wires may lead to vessel wall inflammation, fibrosis, and thrombus formation, and ultimately to venous stenosis and occlusion. The surgical treatment of pacemaker related SVC syndrome requires thoracotomy and carries signi...

BACKGROUND Although various iatrogenic complications could be observed in the process of permanent pacemaker implantation, pacemaker electrode mistakenly implanted into left ventricle via subclavian artery and aortic valve has not been reported. CASE PRESENTATION Herein, we reported a 71-year-old woman with permanent pacemaker mistakenly implanted into the left ventricle. During the operation...

Pacemaker potentials were recorded in situ from myenteric interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC-MY) in the murine small intestine. The nature of the two components of pacemaker potentials (upstroke and plateau) were investigated and compared with slow waves recorded from circular muscle cells. Pacemaker potentials and slow waves were not blocked by nifedipine (3 microM). In the presence of nifedipin...

A 77-year-old man became asystolic 3 days after aortic valve replacement and coronary artery bypass surgery. A dual-chamber temporary pacemaker generator was turned on but failed to discharge; instead, an obscure error message appeared on the liquid crystal display of the pacemaker. The intensive-care nurses and physicians were unable to activate the pacemaker. We describe the pacemaker design ...