Abstract
Patients with severe congestive heart failure (CHF) and cardiac resynchronization therapy often suffer from supraventricular and ventricular tachyarrhythmias. Atrial fibrillation is a common arrhythmia in CHF and may worsen its prognosis by further reduction of the left ventricular function. The morbidity and mortality of CHF may be reduced by restoration and maintenance of sinus rhythm. Amiodarone is the most effective antiarrhythmic drug to maintain sinus rhythm in patients with CHF. New pacing algorithms for the prevention of atrial fibrillation are also implemented in biventricular pacemakers but their clinical efficacy is not validated at present. Pharmacological rate control, pacing algorithms for rate regulation, and biventricular trigger may increase the frequency of left ventricular pacing in patients with permanent atrial fibrillation. Amiodarone may suppress ventricular arrhythmias and may improve left ventricular function but it cannot reduce the incidence of sudden death. A biventricular ICD should be implanted in patients with advanced left ventricular dysfunction and high risk of life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias.
| Translated title of the contribution | Biventricular pacing and antiarrhythmic drugs: A new perspective for the antiarrhythmic hybrid therapy |
|---|---|
| Original language | German |
| Pages (from-to) | 38-45 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | Herzschrittmachertherapie und Elektrophysiologie |
| Volume | 14 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Mar 2003 |
Keywords
- Antiarrhythmic drugs
- Atrial fibrillation
- Cardiac resynchronization therapy
- Heart failure
- Ventricular tachyarrhythmias