2011 Volume 31 Issue 4 Pages 401-407
We investigated the incidence of heart failure in patients after pacemaker implantation. Three ventricular pacing mode groups, designated VDD, DDD and VVI, were observed (AAI mode was not) . The number of patients observed was 209. As for the rate of heart failure (HF) hospitalization, the VDD group had 1 in 21 patients (4.8%) , the DDD group had 3 in 105 (2.9%) , and the VVI group had 14 in 83 (16.9%) . The HF hospitalization rate in the VVI group was higher than the other groups. The average age was 77.7±9.5 years old, with 104 males and 105 females, and 59.0±30.4 months for the average observation period. The average left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) by echocardiogram was 68.7± 9.4%. Patient background and the risk of atrial fibrillation increased did not differ by pacing mode, and there was no significant difference in paced QRS duration. Therefore, the importance of atrio-ventricular synchronization was strongly suggested. Based on these results, there is a high probability that physiologic pacing prevents heart failure.
