Is polyurethane lead insulation still controversial?

A controversy arose some 10 years ago over the reliability of polyurethane lead insulation. On the basis of one of the longest standing and largest databanks worldwide, the authors compare the cumulative survival of several thousand polyurethane, standard silastic, and high-performance silastic electrodes as it pertains to the failure criterion described as insulation degradation. With the possible exception of the Medtronic 6972 (Medtronic, Inc.

Survival and mortality in 3,701 pacemaker patients: arguments in favor of pacemaker reuse.

This study analyzed the results of 3,701 patients implanted with cardiac pacemakers at the Centre Chirurgical du Val d'Or between 1976 and 1981. Two pacemaker populations were compared: those having a new pacemaker and those implanted with a reused pacemaker. There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups, either in terms of indications for implantation or in terms of actuarial survival of patients.

Clinical experience with 910 carbon tip leads: comparison with polished platinum leads.

Since 1980, we have implanted 910 carbon tip leads from three different manufacturers. The pacing thresholds from these leads were compared to those of standard polished platinum electrode configurations. Our major findings are that while acute voltage thresholds are not significantly different, two of the three carbon tip leads that we used in the study have statistically lower chronic thresholds then polished platinum leads (p less than or equal to 0.

[Computers in a center for cardiac stimulation].

The authors describe a computer system with details of the hard ware and filing organisation. The sophistication and originality of the programme makes it a multipurpose tool base on a condensed dictionary. Its uses may be summarised under three headings: --The upkeep of medical case notes, a very successful application, resulting in improved safety in the long term follow-up of pacemaker patients.