Giant pacemaker spikes. An electrocardiographic artifact.
The size and orientation of the spikes produced by a pacemaker are often used by clinicians as an index of the pacemaker's function. Following implantation, the pacemaker spikes ordinarily remain constant in size; alterations suggest electrical or mechanical malfunction. We describe a patient in whom giant spikes from a pacemaker were recorded on a digital electrocardiograph shortly after implantation. An electrocardiogram taken the following day, using an analog machine, showed marked diminution in the pacemaker spike. Because of a different type of signal processing, digital electrocardiographs show much larger spikes from pacemakers than do analog machines.
D002304:Cardiac Pacing, Artificial; D004562:Electrocardiography / Q000295:instrumentation; D004868:Equipment Failure; D006327:Heart Block / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010138:Pacemaker, Artificial