The role of cardiac pacing in carotid sinus syndrome: a meta-analysis.

Purpose: Cardiac pacing can be used to treat carotid sinus syndrome (CSS), but clinical studies have shown conflicting results. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the role of pacing for CSS.

Methods: A systematic search of publications in PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library without language restriction was performed. Prospective randomized studies that compared cardiac pacing with standard therapy or pacing with different algorithms were included if the recurrence of syncope or the number of falls was observed.

Results: Eight studies enrolling 540 patients were identified. In open-label studies, the recurrence of syncope was reduced significantly by cardiac pacing compared with standard therapy. The recurrence of syncope was not different between single- and dual-chamber pacing, but a lower rate of patients with pre-syncope was observed in the group with dual-chamber pacing. Double-blind clinical studies failed to observe the role of cardiac pacing for preventing falls in patients with CSS.

Conclusion: The results of meta-analysis supported the use of cardiac pacing for patients with dominant cardioinhibitory CSS.