title: [Chronic stimulation thresholds using carbon and platinum electrodes].
abstract: Low-output pacemaker programming depends on the absolute value of the chronic pacing threshold. To assess the chronic threshold with three different types of leads we have used Siemens-Vario pacemakers which allow us to measure the chronic voltage threshold noninvasively. Forty six patients had a 12 mm2 platinum tip lead; 38, 12 mm2 carbon tip lead an 15, 9 mm2 carbon tip lead (Siemens, 414-415, 412 and 423). Platinum leads longevity was 45 +/- 15.9 months; 12 mm2 carbon tip leads, 28 +/- 6.5 and 9 mm2 carbon tip leads, 17 +/- 4.5. Forty two months postimplantation chronic threshold (measured at 0.5 msec pulse-width) was 1.6 +/- 0.6 V for platinum electrodes and 1 +/- 0.3 V for 12 mm2 carbon tip leads (p less than 0.001). Twenty four months postimplantation 9 mm2 carbon electrodes chronic threshold was 1 +/- 0.4 V, and 1.7 +/- 0.5 V for platinum electrodes (p less than 0.001). There were no differences between carbon tip leads with 9 and 12 mm2 pacing area. The new activated carbon tip leads have lower chronic pacing thresholds than platinum electrodes with the same pacing area. Pacemaker-patients with these new type of leads can benefit of reduced output programming and increase their pacemaker longevity.
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Cardiología, Hospital Central de la Cruz Roja, Madrid.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Goicolea
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Chicote
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Adoue
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gómez
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: García-Cosío
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002244:Carbon; D004566:Electrodes; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010138:Pacemaker, Artificial; D010984:Platinum; D012684:Sensory Thresholds; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D010984:Platinum; D002244:Carbon
vernacular_title: Umbrales crónicos de estimulación con electrodos de carbono y de platino.