A microcomputer-based system to evaluate cardiac pacing for the treatment of tachycardias

A microcomputer-based pacemaker system for the evaluation of pacemaker treatment of tachycardia is described. The system may be used to study tachycardia initiation, tachycardia termination or a combination of the two. The software incorporates a visual display unit screen handling package which provides the user-system interface. System-patient interfacing is performed by a separate pacing and sensing unit which communicates with the computer via standard digital input/output lines. Several pacing options are available, selectable from a screen-displayed menu. Each selection also has an associated set of programmable parameters which may be adjusted, within allowed limits, to suit particular studies. Examples of the use of the system for tachycardia termination are given. The main programming language for the controlling software was Fortran IV. Some routines were necessarily written in assembly language. The system is useful for evaluation purposes and forms the basis of a cardiac pacemaker development tool.