Transcutaneous cardiac pacing.

Transvenous cardiac pacing is currently the pacing procedure of choice in patients with severe, life-threatening bradyarrhythmias that do not respond to pharmacotherapy. However, pacing catheters can be difficult to insert and frequently fail to capture in severely hypotensive patients. Therefore, there has been a recent resurgence of interest in external pacing methods. Newer transcutaneous cardiac pacing units are easy to apply and especially suited for unconscious patients with severe, life-threatening bradyarrhythmias. There is no operator danger and, if need be, cardiopulmonary resuscitation can continue while the electrodes are in place and the unit is operating. Human and animal studies to date have shown that there are no significant short-term clinical hazards or pathologic abnormalities when using this technique.