Single chamber cardiac pacemakers are cardiac conduction devices with one lead terminating in (most commonly) the right ventricular apex or the right atrium.
Components
Includes one of the following:
lead in the right atrium
lead in the right ventricle
Function
Single chamber atrial pacemakers are uncommonly placed, as they require intact atrioventricular conduction and do not safeguard against its future deterioration. Indications include severely symptomatic sinus bradycardia and the sick sinus syndrome (with the tachycardia-bradycardia syndrome). Lead placement is typically in the right atrial appendage.
Single chamber ventricular pacemakers have also fallen out of favor, eclipsed largely by dual-chamber pacemakers which have leads in both the right atrium and right ventricle. Lead placement should be in the right ventricular apex. Indications for permanent single-chamber ventricular pacing include 3:
sinus node dysfunction
advanced atrioventricular (AV) block
neurocardiogenic syncope
cardiac transplant
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with atrioventricular block
Temporary transvenous pacing commonly relies on single-chamber pacing, however, with the intended location of the lead tip in the right ventricular apex. Indications for temporary single-chamber ventricular pacing often referred to as "transvenous pacing" include 1:
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bradycardia
when associated with myocardial infarction (MI)
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not associated with MI
ventricular dysrhythmias
high grade or complete AV block
risk of post-procedural bradycardia
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tachycardia (overdrive suppression)
supraventricular tachycardia (SVT)
ventricular tachycardia (VT)
ECG
On ECG, atrial pacing will result in a sharp, vertical pacemaker spike followed by an ectopic P wave with a location-dependent morphology; when implanted in proximity to the sinoatrial (SA) node, it will appear upright (positive polarity) in the limb leads, with the exception of aVR.
Ventricular pacing from the right ventricular apex will result in an abnormal right-to-left depolarization of the ventricular myocardium, resulting in a left bundle branch-like morphology of the QRS complex. Depolarization will also occur from apex-to-base, resulting in an "extreme" frontal axis deviation (with negative QRS complexes in the inferior leads) 2.
Modes
The modes of pacemakers are based on generic code known as NBG ( combined from NASPE/BPEG) and typically consist of 5 letters.
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1st letter:
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area being paced
A = atria
V = ventricle
D = dual
O = none
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2nd letter
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area which is sensed
A = atria
V = ventricle
D = dual
O = none
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3rd letter
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response of the pacemaker to sensing
O = none
I = inhibiting
T = triggering
D = dual
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4th letter
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rate adaptiveness
O = none
R = rate adaptiveness
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Single chamber modes
VOO: pacing in the ventricle; sensing is off; response to sensing is off
VVI: pacing in the ventricle; sensing in the ventricle; inhibit
AOO: pacing in the atrium; sensing is off; response to sensing is off
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AAI: pacing in the atrium; sensing in the atrium; inhibit