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[Clinical profile of Chagas and non-Chagas' disease patients with cardiac pacemaker]

Leonor Garcia Rincon1, Manoel Otávio da Costa Rocha, Marco Túlio Baccarini Pires

  • 1Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde, Infectologia e Medicina Tropical, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, R. Campanha 98/101, 30310-770 Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.

Revista Da Sociedade Brasileira De Medicina Tropical
|August 15, 2006
PubMed

Insights

Chagas disease patients using pacemakers showed a lower left ventricular ejection fraction and more frequent ventricular arrhythmias compared to non-Chagas patients. This indicates Chagas disease is linked to poorer cardiac prognosis in pacemaker users.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Biomedical Engineering

Background:

  • Pacemaker implantation is common in managing cardiac conditions.
  • Chagas disease, a parasitic infection, can cause significant cardiac complications.
  • Understanding the impact of Chagas disease on pacemaker outcomes is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare cardiac function and arrhythmia occurrence in Chagas disease versus non-Chagas disease patients with pacemakers.
  • To evaluate left ventricular ejection fraction, ventricular stimulation threshold, and ventricular arrhythmia.
  • To determine if Chagas disease influences pacemaker patient prognosis.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective analysis of 45 Chagas and 35 non-Chagas pacemaker patients (2001-2002).
  • Evaluation included clinical history, echocardiography, Holter monitoring, and pacemaker telemetry.
  • Comparison of left ventricular ejection fraction, stimulation thresholds, and arrhythmia events.

Main Results:

  • Chagas patients were younger; groups were similar in chest X-ray and right ventricular stimulation threshold.
  • Chagas patients exhibited significantly lower left ventricular ejection fraction.
  • Ventricular arrhythmias were more frequent in Chagas disease patients, correlating with reduced ejection fraction.

Conclusions:

  • Chagas disease is associated with worse cardiac prognosis in pacemaker recipients.
  • Lower ejection fraction and increased ventricular arrhythmias are key indicators in Chagas patients.
  • Pacemaker management requires consideration of Chagas disease's cardiac impact.

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