Temporary transvenous atrial pacing for the control of supraventricular tachycardia in the coronary care unit.

Until the present, temporary atrial pacing techniques for acutely ill patients with supraventricular arrhythmias have been most widely used following open heart surgery. The recent availability of stable J-shaped temporary atrial pacing catheters promises to broaden the use of atrial pacing to patients with such arrhythmias who have not had a thoracotomy. Two cases with resistant supraventricular arrhythmias were successfully treated using temporary transvenous pacing leads placed in the right atrial appendage.