[Implanted pacemakers in the Netherlands, 1984-1997; number, types and patient characteristics]

To carry out a survey of the numbers of patients in the Netherlands who received a pacemaker in 1984-1997 and the types of pacemaker.

Retrospective, descriptive.

Information on pacemaker patients and pacemakers in the Netherlands during the years 1984-1997 was obtained from the Dutch Pacemaker Patient Registration organisation and those in 15 other West-European countries from the European Working Group on Cardiac Pacing. Both organisations use the European Pacemaker Identification Card. Demographic information was collected via Statistics Netherlands.

In the Netherlands, 23 and 28 primo-implantations/100,000 inhabitants were carried out in 1984 and 1997 respectively. The increase was primarily due to a higher number of implants in people > 65 years of age. The 1997 implant figures were lower than the average in Western Europe (34/100,000). In 1997 there was no difference in gender, mean age at the time of first implant, indications and aetiology between the Netherlands and Western Europe. With respect to the choice of type of pacemaker implanted--VVI(R) or DDD(R)-in Western Europe, the Netherlands lay in the middle. Between 1984 and 1997, the number of Dutch centres with 1-25 implants/year decreased while the number with 51-130 implants/year increased.

In 1997 the number of primo-implantations at Dutch centres increased in comparison with 1984, but less than the West European average. Implants were increasingly performed in high-volume centres.