Article Abstract:
A pacemaker that stimulates both the upper and lower part of the heart does not significantly reduce the risk of stroke or death from cardiovascular disease. These so-called physiologic pacemakers mimic the heart better than pacemakers that only stimulate the ventricles, which are the lower part of the heart. But in a study of 2,568 patients who were randomly assigned to receive a ventricular or a physiologic pacemaker, the rate of stroke or death from cardiovascular disease was similar in both groups. The only benefit was a slightly lower risk of atrial fibrillation in the patients who received a physiologic pacemaker.
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Article Abstract:
A pacemaker will not necessarily prevent vasovagal syncope, according to a study of 100 patients. Syncope is the medical term for fainting, and vasovagal syncope means the fainting is caused by a nerve disorder. In this study, all 100 patients received a pacemaker, but 48 had a real pacemaker and 52 had a dummy pacemaker. The risk of recurring fainting was similar in both groups.
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Article Abstract:
A study was conducted to determine whether amiodarone plus beta-blocker or sotalol are better than beta-blocker alone for prevention of implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) high-voltage shocks, which are painful. The conclusion revealed that amiodarone plus beta-blocker is effective for preventing the shocks and is more effective than sotalol but has an increased risk of drug-related adverse effects.
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