The Annals of Thoracic Surgery, Vol 48, 579-581, Copyright © 1989 by The Society of Thoracic Surgeons
Intraoperative use of dual-chamber demand pacemakers for open heart operations
SL Wallenhaupt and AT Rogers
Department of Surgery, Wake Forest University Medical Center, Winston- Salem, North Carolina.
The availability of external atrioventricular sequential pacemakers has
improved the management of patients with sinus bradycardia, junctional
rhythm, and atrioventricular block. However, these pacemakers are of less
value in patients with postoperative heart block and accelerated atrial
rhythms. The temporary use of a modified explanted dual-chamber demand
pacemaker may counteract that problem by providing atrially triggered,
P-wave-synchronous ventricular pacing. We report 2 patients in whom the
temporary use of the dual-chamber demand pacemaker greatly facilitated
weaning from cardiopulmonary bypass after coronary artery bypass grafting.