AIMS Left ventricular (LV) and biventricular (BiV) pacing are potentially superior to right ventricular (RV) apical pacing in patients undergoing atrioventricular (AV) junction ablation and pacing for permanent atrial fibrillation. METHODS AND RESULTS Prospective randomized, single-blind, 3-month crossover comparison between RV and LV pacing (phase 1) and between RV and BiV pacing (phase 2) p...

OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to assess the potential acute benefit of multisite cardiac pacing with optimized atrioventricular synchrony and simultaneous biventricular pacing in patients with drug-refractory congestive heart failure (CHF). BACKGROUND Prognosis and quality of life in severe CHF are poor. Various nonpharmacological therapies have been evaluated but are restricted in the...

Cardiac pacing is the only effective treatment for patients with sick sinus syndrome and atrioventricular conduction disorders. In cardiac pacing, the endocardial pacing lead is typically positioned at the right ventricular (RV) apex. At the same time, there is increasing indirect evidence, derived from large pacing mode selection trials and observational studies, that conventional RV apical pa...

BACKGROUND Although overdrive pacing for treating atrial flutter is well established, the efficacy of device-based atrial pacing for treating spontaneous atrial tachyarrhythmias in patients with implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICD) is unknown. This study evaluated the efficacy of novel pacing therapies for treating atrial tachyarrhythmias in patients receiving a dual-chamber ICD to tre...

BACKGROUND The pacing site has been shown to influence functional improvement with cardiac resynchronization therapy. We evaluated the effects of the pacing site on left ventricular (LV) function in an animal model. METHODS AND RESULTS Equilibrium radionuclide angiography was acquired in sinus rhythm (NSR) and with ventricular pacing, from three pacing sites in seven normal and eight infarcte...

Using temporary atrial wire electrodes placed at selected atrial sites, rapid atrial pacing at rates of up to 368 beats/min was used to study atrial excitability and conduction in seven patients who underwent open heart surgery. The threshold for atrial pacing was found to be an exponential function of pacing rate (r = 0.55, p less than 0.01), increasing threefold when the fastest pacing rates ...

Sixteen patients treated with a noninvasively programmable pacemaker were examined after a prolonged period of ventricular inhibited (VVI) and atrial synchronous ventricular inhibited (VDD) pacing. Maximal working capacity was determined by bicycle ergometry. Atrial and ventricular rates, brachial artery cuff pressure and breathing rate were determined at rest and during exercise. There was a m...

Although great strides have been made in the areas of ventricular pacing, it is still appreciated that dyssynchrony can be malignant, and that appropriately placed pacing leads may ameliorate mechanical dyssynchrony. However, the unknowns at present include: 1. The mechanisms by which ventricular pacing itself can induce dyssynchrony; 2. Whether or not various pacing locations can decrease the ...

OBJECTIVE To investigate the feasibility of determination of right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT) high septal pacing site visualized by real-time three-dimensional echocardiography (RT3DE). METHODS The forty subjects with RVOT pacing were analysed. RT3DE determination of RVOT high septal pacing sites was compared with chest X-ray (CXR). RESULTS RVOT septal pacing sites could be obtained i...

Left ventricular (LV) epicardial pacing acutely reduces wall thickening at the pacing site. Because LV epicardial pacing also reduces transverse shear deformation, which is related to myocardial sheet shear, we hypothesized that impaired end-systolic wall thickening at the pacing site is due to reduction in myocardial sheet shear deformation, resulting in a reduced contribution of sheet shear t...