title: A rare case of "runaway" pacemaker in a modern CPU-controlled pacemaker.
abstract: "Runaway" pacemaker is a rare entity that occurs when a malfunctioning artificial cardiac pacemaker abruptly accelerates its pacing rate above the set upper rate limit. This can result in life-threatening dysrhythmia. Runaway pacemaker used to occur more frequently in older model pacemakers, but now with newer pacemaker generators, runaway pacemaker is a rare entity. We report the case of a runaway pacemaker in a modern CPU-controlled pacemaker in a 79-year-old man presenting with lightheadedness and review the literature regarding this rare entity.
authors.affiliation: North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System, Division of Cardiac Electrophysiology, Huntington Hospital, 170 Park Avenue, Huntington, NY 11743, USA.
authors.forename: Amgad N
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Makaryus
authors.forename: Carol
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Patrick
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Maccaro
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D004630:Emergencies; D004868:Equipment Failure; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010138:Pacemaker, Artificial; D012804:Sick Sinus Syndrome / Q000628:therapy*; D013610:Tachycardia / Q000209:etiology*