During the period of September, 1977 to October, 1980, we implanted 145 pacemakers to 140 patients. Among them, 124 patients were programmable. There has been some tendency by economical reason that programmable is not always necessory if preoperative evaluation was sufficiently performed.
We have changed the pacing rate in 33, the out put in 17, the sensitivity in 5 and hystersis in also 5 patients. In changing of the pacing rate, the out put and the sensitivity, the programmer was frequently used and it was clinically important. All who were paced by the atrium were temporarily changed in the pacing rate for the follow up of atrioventricular conduction.
We consider that it is desirable to implant the programmable pacemaker to every patient and should be implanted in physiological pacing.
