Artificial pacemakers have been continuously improved since 1949, when Jack Hopps, from the National Research Council of Canada in Ottawa, first assembled an external generator for Wilfred Bigelow and John Callaghan in the basement of the Banting Institute at the University of Toronto.1 Although Hopps’ device was not the first artificial pacemaker,2–4 the presentation by Callaghan at the 1950 A...

Introduction Respiratory pacing is a promising alternative to traditional mechanical ventilation that has been shown significantly increase the survival and quality of life after neural control respiratory system compromised. However, current approaches achieve adequate tend target only diaphragm without external intercostal muscles are also activated during normal inspiration. Furthermore, par...

CASE REPORT Paramedics were called to a collapsed 75 year old man. They found him in cardiac arrest. Cardiac monitoring demonstrated pulseless electrical activity (PEA) with regular pacing spikes. They identified a device inserted in the left pectoral region. An endotracheal tube was passed and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was started. Adrenaline (epinephrine) and atropine were administe...

OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study was to characterize interactions between normal pacing system operation and the initiating sequence of ventricular tachycardia (VT)/ventricular fibrillation (VF). BACKGROUND Abrupt changes in ventricular cycle lengths (short-long-short, S-L-S) might initiate VT/VF. The S-L-S sequences might be passively permitted or actively facilitated by bradycardia paci...

OBJECTIVE To assess the true efficacy of antitachycardia pacing on spontaneous persistent atrial fibrillation in patients with an implanted atrial defibrillator, by comparing the effects of nominal pacing treatment with subthreshold pacing treatment. DESIGN The effects of antitachycardia pacing and burst 50 Hz atrial pacing on spontaneous atrial arrhythmias were evaluated six months after imp...

Epicardial pacing lead fixation is employed in patients with cavopulmonary anastamosis (Glenn shunts) when they need permanent pacing. Epicardial pacing in these patients may malfunction due to high pacing thresholds or diaphragmatic pacing. A novel technique of transatrial insertion of two endocardial screw-in pacing leads through right anterolateral minithoracotomy could achieve synchronous a...

Sinus node recovery time was compared to the recovery time of a slow atrioventricular junctional rhythm in each of the same seven pentobarbital anesthetized dogs. Recovery time and the first five cardiac cycles were examined after pacing atria and ventricles for 20, 40, and 60 seconds at four or more pacing cycle lengths. Data relating recovery times and return to control conditions to prepacin...

This editorial refers to ‘Safety and efficacy of programming a high number of antitachycardia pacing attempts for fast ventricular tachycardia: a prospective study’ by R.P. Martins et al., on page 1457 and ‘First inappropriate implantable cardioverter defibrillator therapy is often due to inaccurate device programming: analysis of the French OPERA registry’ by A. Leenhardt et al., on page 1465

OBJECTIVES We evaluated in humans the safety and efficacy of a novel magnetic guidance system (MGS) for electrophysiological mapping, pacing, and ablation. BACKGROUND Catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation and other complex arrhythmias requires precise catheter manipulation and stabilization. We have shown in animals that the MGS can precisely manipulate a mapping catheter within the heart ...