Permanent programmable pacemakers in the management of recurrent tachycardias.
Patient reports are presented to indicate the application of standard implanted programmable pacemakers with endocardial electrodes for long-term overdrive suppression of recurrent ventricular tachycardia, and their adaptability to non-invasively induced burts of rapid ventricular pacing to cardiovert that arrhythmia. In carefully preselected patients with bradycardia-tachycardia syndrome, this type of programmable pacemaker may also be used to convert paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia by short bursts of rapid ventricular pacing. In addition, the advantage of non-invasively instituting overdrive suppression with programmable pacemakers to control recurrent ventricular tachycardia appearing in patients being chronically paced for complete heart block is illustrated.
D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010138:Pacemaker, Artificial; D012008:Recurrence; D013610:Tachycardia / Q000628:therapy*; D013614:Tachycardia, Paroxysmal / Q000628:therapy*