Cardiology Letters 2022, 31(3):159-164
Cardiac pacing in the treatment of vasovagal syncope - new technologies and old questions
- I. kardiologická klinika UPJŠ LF a VÚSCH, a. s., Košice, Slovenská republika
Cardiac pacing is a therapeutic alternative in patients with cardioinhibitory vasovagal syncope (VVS). It is used infrequently, according to current recommendations, in patients over 40 years of age with frequent and unpredictable syncope if life style modifications fail. If these conditions are met, the indication for pacing is based on the evidence of asystole in the head-up tilt test or finding of spontaneous asystole in ECG monitoring. The trend is to use a pacemaker algorithm that allows pacing initiation even before significant bradycardia occurs (CLS algorithm). In patients with cardioinhibitory VVS under the age of 40, there are first reports of the effectiveness of leadless pacing.
Keywords: vasovagal syncope; head-up tilt; implantable loop recorder; pacing
Published: March 1, 2022 Show citation
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