title: Temporary pacemaker treatment in open heart surgery: variation in myocardial threshold, tissue and interface impedances in man.
abstract: Myocardial threshold and impedance of adequately insulated multicore metal electrodes (lengths l1 and l2) were investigated in 28 patients undergoing open heart surgery. Increase in current threshold from the pre-to postoperative period was: 607 +/- 102% (mean +/- SEM) with a constant-current pulse generator and 885 +/- 129% with a constant-voltage pulse generator. Tissue impedance (RT - initial impendance) calculated as voltage/current ratio 90 mus into the pulse changed from 564 +/- 34 omega before surgery to a minimum of 134 +/- 7 omega. Thereafter, there was a gradual increase in RT to 162 +/- 9 omega the day of electrode removal. In 25 of 28 patients the minimum values were reached the third to eighth postoperative day. Electrode/tissue interface impedances--Faraday resistance (RF) and Helmholtz capacity (CH)--were calculated from regression analysis of loaded and unloaded electrograms using the method of least squares. The RF showed a fall from 14.7 +/- 1.4 K omega to 5.2 +/- 0.3 K omega, and the CH (20-40 Hz) rose from 6.0 +/- 0.9 mu F to 15.5 +/- 0.8 muF preoperatively to the day of minimum tissue impedance. There were no further changes until the day of electrode removal. A significant positive correlation was found between CH (p < 0.002), current threshold (p < 0.005) and equivalent electrode length [lequ = l1 X l2/(l1 + l2)]. The electrode signal source impedance calculated from RT, RF and CH was of a magnitude not likely to contribute to demand failures. The low postoperative electrode impendance resulted in excessive load on the constant-voltage generator (condenser discharge type), rendering stimulation of the heart with reasonable current values impossible.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D006348:Cardiac Surgical Procedures; D002648:Child; D004553:Electric Conductivity; D004566:Electrodes; D005260:Female; D006321:Heart / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010138:Pacemaker, Artificial; D011184:Postoperative Period