Comparison of the acute effects of pacing the atrial septum, right atrial appendage, coronary sinus os, and the latter two sites simultaneously on the duration of atrial activation.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the acute effects of right atrial appendage, atrial septal, coronary sinus os, and dual site pacing on the duration of atrial activation.
METHODS: 20 patients with a variety of cardiac conditions underwent an intracardiac electrophysiological study. Electrograms were recorded from the right atrial appendage and at multiple sites within the coronary sinus. The duration of atrial activation was measured during pacing at the right atrial appendage, atrial septum, and coronary sinus os, and also during dual site stimulation.
RESULTS: The duration of atrial activation with atrial appendage pacing was notably longer (p < 0.001) than with dual site, septal, or coronary sinus os pacing, but there were no significant differences in atrial activation times between these latter three pacing modes. When stimulating the atria at a cycle length of 500 ms, the mean (SD) duration of atrial activation was 145 (37) ms for right atrial appendage pacing, 93 (26) ms for dual site pacing, 96 (28) ms for septal pacing, and 98 (28) ms for coronary sinus os pacing.
CONCLUSIONS: Assuming that the duration of atrial activation is an important determinant of predisposition to paroxysmal atrial fibrillation, atrial septal pacing or coronary sinus os pacing would appear to offer the same advantage as dual site pacing without the additional complexities associated with the latter pacing mode.