Indications for permanent pacing and pacing mode prescription from 1989 to 2006. Experience of a single academic centre in Northern Greece.
BACKGROUND
Indications for pacing and pacing mode prescription have changed in the past decades following advances in pacemaker technology. The aim of the present study was to evaluate changes in indications for pacing and pacing modes during the years 1989-2006 in a single academic pacemaker centre in Northern Greece.


METHODS
Archives of permanent pacemaker implantation procedures were studied retrospectively and data from all implants, first or replacements, were retrieved.


RESULTS
Data from 2078 procedures were found, 78.7% of which were first implantations. Patients were 54% male with mean age 72.5 years. Main indications for pacing were atrioventricular block (AVB, 45.7%), sick sinus syndrome (SSS, 32.8%), and atrial fibrillation (12.1%). Almost half (48.9%) of the AVB cases were complete AVB, while the most common types of SSS were tachy-brady syndrome (44.1%) and asystole (27.1%). Rare indications for pacing were carotid sinus syndrome (5.0%), heart failure (3.3%) and hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (1.0%). The two most frequently used pacing modes were VVI (38.5%) and DDD (25.8%). However, pacing modes have changed greatly over the years, with a marked increase in dual-chamber pacing after 1997 and a preference for rate responsive units after 2002. Biventricular systems were also used in selected patients with heart failure from 2002 on.


CONCLUSIONS
Indications for pacing and pacing mode prescription in our centre are similar to other pacemaker registries and reflect the global trend in pacing for mimicking the physiological activity of the heart and for addressing problems other than symptomatic bradycardia.
First Department of Cardiology, AHEPA University Hospital, Thessaloniki, Greece.
Ioannis H
IH
Styliadis
Aggeliki P
AP
Mantziari
Nikolaos I
NI
Gouzoumas
Vasilios P
VP
Vassilikos
Stelios A
SA
Paraskevaidis
Sotirios T
ST
Mochlas
Amalia I
AI
Boufidou
Georgios E
GE
Parcharidis
D000368:Aged; D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000628:therapy; D002304:Cardiac Pacing, Artificial / Q000379:methods*; D002312:Cardiomyopathy, Hypertrophic / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D006115:Greece; D006327:Heart Block / Q000628:therapy; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010138:Pacemaker, Artificial / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012804:Sick Sinus Syndrome / Q000628:therapy