Most current pacemaker and ICD systems involve placement of lead(s) transvenously into the heart, connected to a pulse generator. Vascular access may be difficult or limited in some patients, and intravascular leads can be associated with multiple complications such as infection, lead malfunction and vascular occlusion. Recent advances in pacing and ICDs include the development of subcutaneous ...

OBJECTIVES To assess whether patients with congestive heart failure (CHF) and a normal QRS duration can benefit from left ventricular (VDD-LV) pacing. DESIGN Cardiac resynchronisation is reserved for patients with a broad QRS duration on the premise that systolic resynchronisation is the mechanism of benefit, yet improvement from pacing correlates poorly with QRS duration. In CHF patients wit...

Objectives: To assess whether patients with congestive heart failure (CHF) and a normal QRS duration can benefit from left ventricular (VDD-LV) pacing. Design: Cardiac resynchronisation is reserved for patients with a broad QRS duration on the premise that systolic resynchronisation is the mechanism of benefit, yet improvement from pacing correlates poorly with QRS duration. In CHF patients wit...

Drug overdoses in general are increasing and overdoses of cardiac medications are also increasing; some are associated with a high mortality. Temporary cardiac pacing has a valuable role in cases of hypotension related to dysrhythmia, or when it is necessary to provide overdrive pacing. However, despite technically successful and uncomplicated pacemaker insertion and restoration of cardiac elec...

Temporary cardiac pacing can be a life-saving manoeuvre. The indications and techniques are well established. 1 The procedure is one of the 'essential' components of the training programme in general internal medicine. This may be desirable, but is it wise nowadays? Is it achievable? The traditional indication for a temporary cardiac pacemaker is heart block; the usual venue for the procedure i...

AIMS Optogenetic pacing of the heart has been demonstrated in transgenic animals expressing channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR2). However, for the clinical use of optogenetics to treat cardiac arrhythmias, gene transfer to non-transgenic hearts is required. The aim of this study was to describe a reliable method for gene transfer of ChR2 into a sufficient percentage of cardiomyocytes to overcome the elect...