Temporary Pacemaker Treatment in Open Heart Surgery: Pre‐ to Postoperative Changes in the Electrogram Characteristics

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Abstract
Thirty-three patients undergoing cardiac surgery in general hypothermia were investigated during temporary pacemaker treatment for changes in right ventricular electrogram amplitudes (AMAX, UMAX) and maximum derivatives (DMAX, SMAX) from pre-to postoperative phase (AMAX = amplitude of the part of the electrogram with highest mean maximum derivative (SMAX), DMAX = maximum derivative, UMAX = maximum amplitude deflection). Standard commercially available electrodes were used in 28 of the patients. A paired comparison (n = 29) showed a fall in AMAX from 8.64 +/- 0.91 mV (mean +/- SEM) preoperatively to 4.94 +/- 0.43 mV (p < 0.001) between the 4th and 6th postoperative day; UMAX dropped from 11.09 +/- 0.95 mV preoperatively to 5.44 +/- 0.42 mV (p < 0.000001) from the fourth to the sixth postoperative day. In the same period DMAX fell from 1.57 +/- 0.13 V/s to 0.67 +/- 0.05 V/s (p < 0.000001), and SMAX from 0.76 +/- 0.06 V/s to 0.32 +/- 0.02 V/s (p < 0.000001). The most marked fall in amplitudes and maximum derivatives occurred during the first 24 hours. A slight, but nonsignificant increase occurred in amplitudes and maximum derivatives from the 4th to 6th postoperative day until the electrodes were removed the 10th to 19th postoperative day. Amplitudes and maximum derivatives were of the same value in patients with aortic valve compared with coronary heart diseases in spite of a more deteriorated myocardial function in the former group. The changes in amplitudes and maximum derivatives followed the same pattern in the two groups from the pre- to postoperative phase. This indicates that the additional local hyperthermia applied to the patients undergoing valve surgery was of no importance in the electrogram changes. Despite the fact that the electrogram maximum derivative and maximum amplitude needed to inhibit a temporary pulse generator are of a low magnitude, the values found were so small that they might provoke demand failure. This actually occurred in four patients.