Treatment By Atrial-Triggered Pacemaker

Fifty-four patients with heart block were treated with the atrial-triggered pacemaker, which was implanted without thoracotomy. An atrial detector-electrode was placed in the mediastinum by means of media-stinoscopy, except in a few cases where an intra-atrial detector electrode was inserted by transvenous technique. The patients were treated for 14 months on the average, with very satisfactory results. Nineteen patients had their pacemaker changed after an average of 15 months. This type of pacemaker seems to have no greater tendency to failure than the fixed rate type. There were no cable breaks or other defects of the electrodes. The advantages of synchronous pacemaker treatment were discussed and the importance of normal atrial activity was emphasised. On the basis of the results of treatment and of haemo-dynamic studies, indications were established for the use of atrial-triggered pacemaker.