Atrial pacing site and atrioventricular conduction in patients paced for sinus node disease.

BACKGROUND: Unnecessary ventricular pacing in sinus node disease (SND) must be avoided. To test the hypothesis that in SND, with or without 1st degree atrioventricular (AV) block, cumulative percent ventricular pacing (cum%VP) can be limited by low right atrial septal (LRAS) instead of right atrial appendage (RAA) pacing. METHODS: We studied 102 dual-chamber pacemaker recipients with SND. The PQ interval on 12-lead electrocardiogram and the atrial paced to ventricular sensed interval (Ap-Vs) during LRAS and RAA pacing were measured and compared at implantation, 3 months and 1 year of follow-up. Group 1 included 62 patients with baseline PQ interval <200 milliseconds during LRAS (n = 28) versus RAA (n = 34) pacing. Group 2 included 40 patients with baseline PQ ≥200 milliseconds during LRAS (n = 20) versus RAA (n = 20) pacing. cum%VP were measured at 3 months and 1 year. RESULTS: The characteristics and AV conduction properties were similar and the Ap-Vs interval was significantly shorter in the LRAS than in the RAA pacing group up to 1 year (193 ± 32 milliseconds vs. 220 ± 27 milliseconds in Group 1; P = 0.003, 222 ± 41 milliseconds vs. 281 ± 30 milliseconds in Group 2; P < 0.001). While cumulative percent atrial pacing was consistently similar, cum%VP was significantly smaller during LRAS than RAA pacing (1 ± 1% vs. 8 ± 18% in Group 1; P = 0.03, 7 ± 10% vs. 48 ± 38% in Group 2; P < 0.001). Similar observations were made with or without left atrial (LA) enlargement. CONCLUSION: Compared with RAA, LRAS pacing showed shorter AV interval in SND patients with or without 1st degree AV block and LA enlargement. This beneficial effect persisted through 1-year follow-up, and decreased cum%VP significantly.

Effect of adaptive cardiac resynchronization therapy in heart failure patients with pacemaker dependency.

BACKGROUND: An adaptive cardiac resynchronization therapy (aCRT) algorithm allows continuous adjustments of pacing timings of atrioventricular delays by periodic automatic evaluation of electrical conduction. This applies to patients with an atrioventricular block and is effective in cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) devices; however, whether this algorithm benefits patients with pacemaker dependency is uncertain. METHODS: This study examined the clinical impact of an aCRT algorithm in patients diagnosed with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction and pacemaker dependency. A total of 359 patients underwent CRT between January 2016 and December 2022. Patients undergoing pacemaker-dependent CRT with the aCRT algorithm function were selected. Sixty-four patients with pacemaker dependency (31 with aCRT algorithm and 33 without) were included. Pacemaker dependency was defined as the absence of spontaneous ventricular activity during the sensing test at VVI 30 bpm or prolonged atrioventricular delay (> 300 ms). The primary endpoint was the composite clinical outcome of all-cause death or hospitalization for heart failure. RESULTS: No significant differences were observed in baseline characteristics between groups. During a median follow-up of 1,067 days (interquartile range 553-1,776 days), aCRT reduced the risk of composite clinical outcomes in patients with pacemaker dependency (log-rank P = 0.028). In addition, using the aCRT algorithm was an independent predictor of the composite clinical outcomes in the multivariate analysis (hazard ratio 0.34, 95% confidence interval: 0.12-0.94, P = 0.038). CONCLUSION: The aCRT algorithm significantly reduced the risk of adverse clinical outcomes in patients with pacemaker dependency. This algorithm may be an important tool for managing such patients.

Leadless Pacemakers: Current Achievements and Future Perspectives.

Despite the technological advances in pacemaker technology, the transvenous implanted leads are still considered the Achilles' heel of this rhythm-control therapy. The leadless permanent pacemaker system was developed as an option to bypass the weakness of the transvenous approach. Advances in battery technology and deep miniaturisation of electronics now offer the opportunity to implant the whole pacemaker system into the right ventricle. This review aims to provide a comprehensive report on the advent of leadless pacemakers, their clinical usefulness and the future perspectives of this disruptive and promising technology. Further research is required before some of these technologies are safely and routinely used in clinical practice.