BACKGROUND: Complete heart block is dreaded perioperatively in patients with chronic bifascicular or left bundle branch block (LBBB) and additional first-degree A-V block. Our aim was to investigate the necessity as well as the efficacy and safety of transcutaneous pacing in the perioperative setting. METHODS: Thirty-nine consecutive patients with asymptomatic chronic bifascicular block or LBBB and prolongation of the P-R interval scheduled to undergo surgery under anesthesia were prospectively enrolled in the study. Preoperatively, a transcutaneous pacemaker (PACE 500 D, Osypka Co.) was applied; its efficacy was checked with intra-arterial blood pressure measurement; the pain level was recorded. Additionally, 24-h Holter monitoring (CM2, CM5) was applied. Occurrences of a block progression or a bradycardia of <40 beats/min with hemodynamic impairment were the defined end points. RESULTS: Thirty-seven of the 39 patients (95%) could be successfully stimulated with a median current strength of 70 mA; whereby 33 of the 39 patients felt moderate to severe pain. There was no perioperative block progression. Three cases of brady-cardia of <40 beats/min with a critical drop in blood pressure occurred; but these patients were successfully treated with drug therapy without pacemaker stimulation. CONCLUSION: The perioperative application and testing of the pacemaker was safe and could be performed in nearly all patients successfully. However, we do not consider a routine prophylactic transcutaneous placement in patients with chronic bifascicular or LBBB and additional first-degree A-V block justified. Nevertheless, appropriate drugs and temporary pacemaker equipment should be easily accessible.
BACKGROUND: Complete heart block is dreaded perioperatively in patients with chronic bifascicular or left bundle branch block (LBBB) and additional first-degree A-V block. Our aim was to investigate the necessity as well as the efficacy and safety of transcutaneous pacing in the perioperative setting. METHODS: Thirty-nine consecutive patients with asymptomatic chronic bifascicular block or LBBB and prolongation of the P-R interval scheduled to undergo surgery under anesthesia were prospectively enrolled in the study. Preoperatively, a transcutaneous pacemaker (PACE 500 D, Osypka Co.) was applied; its efficacy was checked with intra-arterial blood pressure measurement; the pain level was recorded. Additionally, 24-h Holter monitoring (CM2, CM5) was applied. Occurrences of a block progression or a bradycardia of <40 beats/min with hemodynamic impairment were the defined end points. RESULTS: Thirty-seven of the 39 patients (95%) could be successfully stimulated with a median current strength of 70 mA; whereby 33 of the 39 patients felt moderate to severe pain. There was no perioperative block progression. Three cases of brady-cardia of <40 beats/min with a critical drop in blood pressure occurred; but these patients were successfully treated with drug therapy without pacemaker stimulation. CONCLUSION: The perioperative application and testing of the pacemaker was safe and could be performed in nearly all patients successfully. However, we do not consider a routine prophylactic transcutaneous placement in patients with chronic bifascicular or LBBB and additional first-degree A-V block justified. Nevertheless, appropriate drugs and temporary pacemaker equipment should be easily accessible.
Authors: Danielle Menosi Gualandro; Pai Ching Yu; Bruno Caramelli; André Coelho Marques; Daniela Calderaro; Luciana Savoy Fornari; Claudio Pinho; Alina Coutinho Rodrigues Feitosa; Carisi Anne Polanczyk; Carlos Eduardo Rochitte; Carlos Jardim; Carolina L Z Vieira; Debora Y M Nakamura; Denise Iezzi; Dirk Schreen; Eduardo Leal Adam; Elbio Antonio D'Amico; Emerson Q de Lima; Emmanuel de Almeida Burdmann; Enrique Indalecio Pachón Mateo; Fabiana Goulart Marcondes Braga; Fabio S Machado; Flavio J de Paula; Gabriel Assis Lopes do Carmo; Gilson Soares Feitosa-Filho; Gustavo Faibischew Prado; Heno Ferreira Lopes; João R C Fernandes; José J G de Lima; Luciana Sacilotto; Luciano Ferreira Drager; Luciano Janussi Vacanti; Luis Eduardo Paim Rohde; Luis F L Prada; Luis Henrique Wolff Gowdak; Marcelo Luiz Campos Vieira; Maristela Camargo Monachini; Milena Frota Macatrão-Costa; Milena Ribeiro Paixão; Mucio Tavares de Oliveira; Patricia Cury; Paula R Villaça; Pedro Silvio Farsky; Rinaldo F Siciliano; Roberto Henrique Heinisch; Rogerio Souza; Sandra F M Gualandro; Tarso Augusto Duenhas Accorsi; Wilson Mathias Journal: Arq Bras Cardiol Date: 2017 Jan-Feb Impact factor: 2.000
Authors: André Arpad Faludi; Maria Cristina de Oliveira Izar; José Francisco Kerr Saraiva; Ana Paula Marte Chacra; Henrique Tria Bianco; Abrahão Afiune; Adriana Bertolami; Alexandre C Pereira; Ana Maria Lottenberg; Andrei C Sposito; Antonio Carlos Palandri Chagas; Antonio Casella; Antônio Felipe Simão; Aristóteles Comte de Alencar; Bruno Caramelli; Carlos Costa Magalhães; Carlos Eduardo Negrão; Carlos Eduardo Dos Santos Ferreira; Carlos Scherr; Claudine Maria Alves Feio; Cristiane Kovacs; Daniel Branco de Araújo; Daniel Magnoni; Daniela Calderaro; Danielle Menosi Gualandro; Edgard Pessoa de Mello; Elizabeth Regina Giunco Alexandre; Emília Inoue Sato; Emilio Hideyuki Moriguchi; Fabiana Hanna Rached; Fábio César Dos Santos; Fernando Henpin Yue Cesena; Francisco Antonio Helfenstein Fonseca; Henrique Andrade Rodrigues da Fonseca; Hermes Toros Xavier; Isabela Cardoso Pimentel Mota; Isabela de Carlos Back Giuliano; Jaqueline Scholz Issa; Jayme Diament; João Bosco Pesquero; José Ernesto Dos Santos; José Rocha Faria; José Xavier de Melo; Juliana Tieko Kato; Kerginaldo Paulo Torres; Marcelo Chiara Bertolami; Marcelo Heitor Vieira Assad; Márcio Hiroshi Miname; Marileia Scartezini; Neusa Assumpta Forti; Otávio Rizzi Coelho; Raul Cavalcante Maranhão; Raul Dias Dos Santos; Renato Jorge Alves; Roberta Lara Cassani; Roberto Tadeu Barcellos Betti; Tales de Carvalho; Tânia Leme da Rocha Martinez; Viviane Zorzanelli Rocha Giraldez; Wilson Salgado Journal: Arq Bras Cardiol Date: 2017-07 Impact factor: 2.000