Incidence of atrial flutter and atrial fibrillation in patients with implanted physiological pacemakers.
Atrial flutter (AF) is a troublesome arrhythmia for patients with an implanted pacemaker. Although it has recently become possible to eliminate AF by radiofrequency catheter ablation (RF-CA), the incidence of AF before and after pacemaker implantation has not been clarified. The present study was conducted with 123 consecutive patients (69.3+/-11.6 (SD) years old) implanted with pacemakers, excluding patients who had chronic atrial fibrillation (AFib) when the pacemaker was implanted; 69 patients with atrioventricular (AV) block and 54 patients with sick sinus syndrome (including 29 patients with bradycardia-tachycardia syndrome). All patients were implanted with physiological pacemakers. The follow-up period was 4.7+/-1.9 years. In 11 of the 123 patients (8.9%), AF was observed before pacemaker implantation and the incidence was significantly higher in patients with sick sinus syndrome than in those with AV block (16.7 vs 2.9%, p<0.01). Nine of the 29 patients with bradycardia-tachycardia syndrome (31%) had AF. After physiological pacemaker implantation, AF recurred in 9 of the 11 patients, and AF was newly observed in 1 patient. Thus, 10 of the 123 patients (8.1%) had AF after physiological pacemaker implantation. Recurrence of AF was not suppressed by physiological pacing. Thirty of the 123 patients had AFib before implantation of a pacemaker and its occurrence was reduced by physiological pacing (from 24.4% to 12.2%, p<0.05). The incidence of AFib in patients with AF was significantly higher than in those without AF (90.0 vs 5.3%, p<0.001). In conclusion, the recurrence of AF is not prevented by physiological pacing and is closely related to the occurrence of AFib. RF-CA should be considered in patients who have AF before pacemaker implantation.
Cardiovascular Center, Yokohama City University School of Medicine, Yokohama, Japan.
T
T
Ishikawa
S
S
Sumita
M
M
Kikuchi
T
T
Nakagawa
M
M
Kosuge
N
N
Kuji
K
K
Kimura
O
O
Tochikubo
T
T
Usui
S
S
Umemura
D000368:Aged; D001145:Arrhythmias, Cardiac / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D001282:Atrial Flutter / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D001919:Bradycardia / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006327:Heart Block / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008875:Middle Aged; D010138:Pacemaker, Artificial / Q000009:adverse effects*; D012008:Recurrence; D012804:Sick Sinus Syndrome / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D013610:Tachycardia / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy