Long-term Prevention of Vagal Atrial Arrhythmias by Atrial Pacing at 90/Minute: Experience with 6 Cases

Six patients (5 men, 1 woman) with a history ranging from 3–16 years of resistant vagal atrial arrhythmias were treated by atrial pacing at a rate of 90Jmin. These patients have been followed up for an average of 5.5 years (range 2–11 years) with favorable resutls. The arrhythmias were charactemed b...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Pacing and clinical electrophysiology 1983-05, Vol.6 (3), p.552-560
Main Authors: COUMEL, PHILIPPE, FRIOCOURT, PATRICK, MUGICA, JACQUES, ATTUEL, PATRICK, LECLERCQ, JEAN-FRANCOIS
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Aged
Arrhythmias, Cardiac - physiopathology
Arrhythmias, Cardiac - prevention & control
Atrial Fibrillation - prevention & control
Atrial Flutter - prevention & control
Cardiac Complexes, Premature - prevention & control
Electrocardiography
Female
Follow-Up Studies
Heart Atria - physiopathology
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Tachycardia, Paroxysmal - prevention & control
Vagus Nerve - physiopathology
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Six patients (5 men, 1 woman) with a history ranging from 3–16 years of resistant vagal atrial arrhythmias were treated by atrial pacing at a rate of 90Jmin. These patients have been followed up for an average of 5.5 years (range 2–11 years) with favorable resutls. The arrhythmias were charactemed by daily or weekly attacks of rypical alrial flutter and atrial fibrillalion occurring mainly or exclusively at night, at rest, or in the digestive periods in otherwise normal hearts of middle‐aged palients (first attack between 25 and 54, mean 40). The arrhythmias werc resistant to quinidinc, and were usually aggravated by digitalis, beta‐blockers and verapamil. Amiodaroneisusually the only effective drug in this syndrome, but was not used before pacing in the 2 first cases, and was in effective in the other 4 cases. Electrophysiologic studies confirmed the absence of sick sinus syndrome, and the close relationship betwecn a relative bradycardia and the onset of the arrhythmia. Atrial pacing alone totally controiled the arrhythmia in 1 palient; amiodarone was used in conjunction with pacing in 3 palients. In 1 patient the improvement was clear but incomplete, and in 1 patient permanent alrial fibrillation occurred shortly afler pacemaker implantalion.
ISSN:0147-8389
1540-8159
DOI:10.1111/j.1540-8159.1983.tb05295.x