title: Concealed mechanical bradycardia: an indication for permanent pacemaker implantation.
abstract: We report a 51-year-old man with severe ischemic cardiomyopathy and heart failure in whom incessant bigeminal ventricular ectopy failed to generate a detectable arterial pressure. This created a mechanical bradycardia despite an adequate electrical heart rate. Dual chamber pacing increased the effective heart rate and allowed discontinuation of an intraaortic balloon pump from which the patient could not otherwise be weaned.
authors.affiliation: Department of Electrophysiology and Cardiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA.
authors.forename: H S
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Barold
authors.forename: A B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Hesselson
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jollis
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Wharton
authors.forename: T D
authors.initials: TD
authors.lastname: Bahnson
mesh_terms: D001146:Arrhythmia, Sinus / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D001919:Bradycardia / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D004562:Electrocardiography; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000503:physiopathology; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007423:Intra-Aortic Balloon Pumping; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017202:Myocardial Ischemia / Q000503:physiopathology; D010138:Pacemaker, Artificial