Aims: To ascertain the proportion of adults with a pacemaker in situ attending the Accident and Emergency Department because of syncope or unexplained falls and the cause of index symptoms in these patients, including the prevalence of hypotensive syndromes.
Methods And Results: Patients presenting to the Accident and Emergency Department with unexplained syncope or non-accidental falls, who had a pacemaker in situ, were studied. Eligible patients had cardiovascular assessment (morning orthostatic blood pressure measurement, heart rate and BP measurements during carotid sinus stimulation (supine and upright), head-up tilt at 70 degrees for 40 min), assessment of haemodynamics during fixed mode pacing and gait and balance assessment. Of 5863 patients screened, 13.5% had unexplained syncope or a non-accidental fall; of these only 3% (26 patients) had pacemakers in situ. Of 18 study patients (82 +/- 8 years), 10 were female. Sixteen had a hypotensive diagnosis. Seven had more than one attributable hypotensive diagnosis. Five of 13 with vasodepressor carotid sinus syndrome had no previous diagnosis of carotid sinus hypersensitivity. No patients had vasovagal syncope induced during passive head-up tilt testing.
Conclusion: It is rare for patients who attend the Accident and Emergency Department because of syncope or unexplained falls to have a pacemaker in situ. In those who do, hypotensive disorders are a common finding.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1053/eupc.2002.0225 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Injectable ionic hydrogel conductors: Advancing material design to transform cardiac pacing.
Biomaterials
January 2025
Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, 78712, USA. Electronic address:
Direct pacing of the mid myocardium where re-entry originates can be used to prevent ventricular arrhythmias and circumvent the need for painful defibrillation or cardiac ablation. However, there are no pacing electrodes small enough to navigate the coronary veins that cross these culprit scar regions. To address this need, we have developed an injectable ionically conductive hydrogel electrode that can fill the epicardial coronary veins and transform them into flexible electrodes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTemporal and spatial layout of endocannabinoid system components in the mouse suprachiasmatic nucleus.
Neuroscience
January 2025
Department of Biological Sciences, Kent State University, 1275 University Esplanade, Kent, OH 44242, USA; School of Biomedical Sciences, Kent State University, 1275 University Esplanade, Kent, OH 44242, USA; Brain Health Research Institute, Kent State University, 1275 University Esplanade, Kent, OH 44242, USA. Electronic address:
Environmental light serves as the main entraining signal for the central circadian pacemaker, the suprachiasmatic nucleus of the hypothalamus (SCN). To shift clock timing with the changing environment, minute adjustments are necessary and the endocannabinoid system (ECS) acts as a neuromodulatory signaling mechanism in the SCN. These systems exert bidirectional effects on one another, still, limited knowledge exists about the role of endocannabinoids in circadian rhythm regulation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOdz4 upregulates SAN-specific genes to promote differentiation into cardiac pacemaker-like cells.
FEBS Lett
October 2024
Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Hiroshima University, Japan.
Article Synopsis
- * Research utilizing RNA-seq data and in situ hybridization showed that Odz4 is specifically expressed in the sinoatrial node (SAN) and the cardiac conduction system (CCS).
- * Experiments using an inducible system to express Odz4's intracellular domain demonstrated that it enhances the development of pacemaker-like cells, suggesting its importance in SAN differentiation and biological pacemaker development.
Assessment of Gastric Remnant Activity, Symptoms, and Quality of Life Following Gastric Bypass.
Obes Surg
December 2024
Department of Surgery, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
Article Synopsis
- - The study investigated long-term complications in gastric bypass patients, such as nausea and abdominal pain, and their impact on quality of life (QoL), focusing on the residual stomach's activity.
- - Researchers used the Gastric Alimetry® System to assess the gastrointestinal function of patients 46.8 months after surgery, revealing significant post-meal symptoms and noticeably degraded gastric function compared to control groups.
- - Findings indicated that one-third of participants exhibited severe gastrointestinal symptoms and lower QoL, with the remnant stomach showing abnormal electrophysiology that was linked to diminished quality of life, though the study does not confirm a direct cause-and-effect relationship.
Safety and behavior of implantable electronic devices during cremation.
Heart Rhythm
August 2024
Harvard Thorndike Electrophysiology Institute, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.
Background: The current standard of practice for cremating patients with cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs) is surgical explantation before cremation to mitigate the risk of device explosion. This surgery may conflict with patient or family beliefs, whereas cremation of CIEDs may create occupational hazards.
Objective: This study sought to establish an ex vivo model for screening CIED behavior during cremation.
Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!