Patients
The study protocol was approved by the Institutional Committee on Human
Research and Ethics. The study was conducted in compliance with the
Declaration of Helsinki. Out of 420 patients with DDD pacemakers who
were admitted to cardiology outpatient clinics of two participating
hospitals for elective device control between October 7th, 2021 and
December 31st, 2021, 177 [mean age, 67.5 ± 14.8 (70) years; 107 men,
70 women] were included in this study. A total of 420 patients with
pacemakers, ICDs and CRTs were evaluated. Those with VVI/VDD mode
devices, atrial fibrillation/flutter/tachycardia, lead dysfunction or
uninterpretable atrial threshold test were excluded and the remaining
177 patients were included in the study.
All patients signed informed consent forms. Patients with atrial
fibrillation, atrial tachycardia, very frequent atrial premature beats
preventing healthy evaluation of the atrial threshold test, patients in
whom pacing continued after the lowest threshold value, patients with
higher than measurable threshold values, patients with inconclusive
threshold test results, patients with atrial or ventricular lead
malfunction were excluded.
Out of 177 subjects, 105 had pacemakers, 20 had ICDs and 52 had CRTs.
Overall, 77 patients had Abbott - St Jude Medical, 70 had Medtronic, 20
had Boston -Scientific, 7 had Biotronik and 3 patients had LivaNova -
Sorin devices. Demographical and clinical features of the patients,
indications for CIED implantation and details of the devices were
recorded to be analyzed in this study.