Automatic ventricular threshold measurement in children with epicardial pacing leads.
BACKGROUND
The aim of the study was to evaluate the safety and reliability of automatic ventricular pacing threshold measurement, the Medtronic Capture Management (CM), in children with epicardial pacing leads. CM has not been recommended for use with epicardial leads due to lack of pertinent data.


METHODS
During a 2-year study period, 34 children (mean age 6.1 years, range 0 days to 17.7 years) with epicardial leads were prospectively enrolled. The CM measurements were compared with in-office ventricular pacing threshold measurements. Thirty bipolar and five unipolar epicardial leads were assessed.


RESULTS
CM measurements were successful and reliable in 30 out of 35 leads (86%). The mean threshold with CM was 1.16 V (95% CI 1.07-1.26 V), and with standard measurement was 1.18 V (95% CI 1.09-1.28 V), at a pulse width of 0.40 ms. The reasons for failure were evoked response undersensing in two cases (5.7%), and high intrinsic rate in one case. High pacing thresholds prevented accurate CM measurements in two cases.


CONCLUSIONS
CM automatic threshold measurements are consistent with standard ventricular pacing threshold measurements in children with epicardial leads. We recommend a period of monitoring CM performance before programming it to adjust output according to automatic threshold measurements, in order to find the patients in whom it does not work. The CM feature provides increased pacing safety when it measures well (86% of leads). A larger study is needed to prove the tendency for extending battery life in children with epicardial leads.
Hiippala
Anita
A
Pediatric Cardiology, Department of Pediatrics, Hospital for Children and Adolescents, Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland.
Clausson
Eva
E
Ekblad
Henrik
H
Leskinen
Markku
M
Happonen
Juha-Matti
JM
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004562:Electrocardiography; D004567:Electrodes, Implanted; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D006352:Heart Ventricles; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome