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S Serge Barold

Publications and source records attributed to S Serge Barold.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Is a dual-sensor pacemaker appropriate in patients with sino-atrial disease? Results from the DUSISLOG study.

BACKGROUND: Rate-responsive pacemakers (PMs) are often supplied with accelerometer (XL) and minute ventilation (MV) sensors to provide a physiologic rate response according to patient needs. No information is available about the real benefit of dual-sensor rate-responsive pacing on the daily life of patients. METHODS: DUSISLOG (Dual Sensor vs Single Sensor comparison using patient activity LOGbook) is a two-arm prospective, randomized, multicenter study that enrolled 105 patients who received a rate-responsive PM (Insignia), Guidant Corp.). After 1 month of DDD pacing at 60 ppm lower rate, a single sensor (XL or MV, randomized) was activated for 3 months at the manufacturer's suggested nominal settings, followed by a 3-month period with dual sensors optimized with automatic response. During the last month of each period, the following data concerning patient physical activity were retrieved from PM diagnostics (Activity Log): mean percentage of physical activity, mean intensity of activity. Quality of life (QoL) scores and 6-minute walk test (WT) were also recorded. RESULTS: Single-sensor rate-responsive pacing resulted in symptomatic benefit equally with XL and MV sensors while no additional benefit was found using dual sensor. In a subgroup analysis, patients (17%) with marked chronotropic incompetence and with 0% atrial sensing received benefits from single sensor with an additional advantage from sensor (QoL: +21 +/- 14% P < 0.05; WT: +17 +/- 7% P < 0.02). CONCLUSION: In most patients with rate-responsive devices, a single sensor is sufficient to achieve a satisfactory rate response. A dual sensor combination and optimization provides an additional benefit only in a selected population with an advanced atrial chronotropic disease.

Aged↗

Seymour Furman.

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Cardiac Pacing, Artificial↗

Significance of QRS complex duration in patients with heart failure.

Prolongation of QRS (> or =120 ms) occurs in 14% to 47% of heart failure (HF) patients. Left bundle branch block is far more common than right bundle branch block. Left-sided intraventricular conduction delay is associated with more advanced myocardial disease, worse left ventricular (LV) function, poorer prognosis, and a higher all-cause mortality rate compared with narrow QRS complex. It also predisposes heart failure patients to an increased risk of ventricular tachyarrhythmias, but the incidence of cardiac or sudden death remains unclear because of limited observations. A progressive increase in QRS duration worsens the prognosis. No electrocardiographic measure is specific enough to provide subgroup risk categorization for excluding or selecting HF patients for prophylactic implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) therapy. In ICD patients with HF, a wide underlying QRS complex more than doubles the cardiac mortality compared with a narrow QRS complex. There is a high incidence of an elevated defibrillation threshold at the time of ICD implantation in patients with QRS > or =200 ms. Mechanical LV dyssynchrony potentially treatable by ventricular resynchronization occurs in about 70% of HF patients with left-sided intraventricular conduction delay, a fact that would explain the lack of therapeutic response in about 30% of patients subjected to ventricular resynchronization according to standard criteria relying on QRS duration. The duration of the basal QRS complex does not reliably predict the clinical response to ventricular resynchronization, and QRS narrowing after cardiac resynchronization therapy does not correlate with hemodynamic and clinical improvement. Mechanical LV dyssynchrony is best shown by evolving echocardiographic techniques (predominantly tissue Doppler imaging) currently in the process of standardization.

Bundle-Branch Block↗

Cardiac resynchronization therapy: Part 1--issues before device implantation.

Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) has been used extensively over the last years in the therapeutic management of patients with end-stage heart failure. Data from 4,017 patients have been published in eight large, randomized trials on CRT. Improvement in clinical end points (symptoms, exercise capacity, quality of life) and echocardiographic end points (systolic function, left ventricular size, mitral regurgitation) have been reported after CRT, with a reduction in hospitalizations for decompensated heart failure and an improvement in survival. However, individual results vary, and 20% to 30% of patients do not respond to CRT. At present, the selection criteria include severe heart failure (New York Heart Association functional class III or IV), left ventricular ejection fraction <35%, and wide QRS complex (>120 ms). Assessment of inter- and particularly intraventricular dyssynchrony as provided by echocardiography (predominantly tissue Doppler imaging techniques) may allow improved identification of potential responders to CRT. In this review a summary of the clinical and echocardiographic results of the large, randomized trials is provided, followed by an extensive overview on the currently available echocardiographic techniques for assessment of LV dyssynchrony. In addition, the value of LV scar tissue and venous anatomy for the selection of potential candidates for CRT are discussed.

Cardiac Output, Low↗

Cardiac resynchronization therapy: Part 2--issues during and after device implantation and unresolved questions.

Encouraged by the clinical success of cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT), the implantation rate has increased exponentially, although several limitations and unresolved issues of CRT have been identified. This review concerns issues that are encountered during implantation of CRT devices, including the role of electroanatomical mapping, whether CRT implantation should be accompanied by simultaneous atrioventricular nodal ablation in patients with atrial fibrillation, procedural complications, and when to consider surgical left ventricular lead positioning. Furthermore, (echocardiographic) CRT optimization and assessment of CRT benefits after implantation are highlighted. Also, controversial issues such as the potential value of CRT in patients with mild heart failure or narrow QRS complex are addressed. Finally, open questions concerning when to combine CRT with implantable cardioverter-defibrillator therapy and the cost-effectiveness of CRT are discussed.

Atrial Fibrillation↗

Digital technology for cardiac pacing.

Digital technology transforms analog signals into digital signals. Digitalization translates data into a numerical sequence of 0 seconds and 1 second or off and on (binary system). Thus encoded, differing signals (static or moving images, sounds, written texts) become homogeneous and can be handled simultaneously in a rapid and flexible manner while maintaining quality and stability. In digital format, data are easy to handle and can be compressed without undergoing any alteration of their contents, creating a vast wealth of information contained in little space, as in digital libraries.

Analog-Digital Conversion↗

Pulsus alternans caused by 2:1 left bundle branch block.

Pulsus alternans was caused by 2:1 left bundle branch block in a patient with a left ventricular ejection fraction of 50% and normal coronary arteries. The observations documented the profound depressant hemodynamic effect of complete left bundle branch block in the setting of minimal systolic left ventricular function.

Bundle-Branch Block↗

Mode switching of dual chamber pacemakers from activation of a blanked flutter search algorithm by a single atrial event.

The Medtronic Kappa 700 and 900 pacemaker family offers a dedicated Blanked Flutter Search algorithm specifically designed for the detection of atrial flutter. This report describes 5 cases that demonstrate how the Blanked Flutter Search algorithm can be activated in the absence of atrial tachycardia, atrial flutter, or sinus tachycardia by a single atrial event (AR) detected in the atrial refractory period of the pacemaker provided it is either preceded or followed by a sensed atrial event (AS).

Algorithms↗