[Experience with permanent cardiac pacemakers in the East Slovakian Region 1978-1987]

The authors present a group of patients where in the course of the 10-year period of 1978-1987 a permanent pacemaker was implanted. 587 primary implantations were made and 327 exchanges of cardiac pacemakers. The mean age in the group of primary implantations was 70.4 +/- 10.3 years, in the group of exchanges 70.4 +/- 10.6 years. n 98.8% pacemakers VVI and VOO made in Czechoslovakia were implanted. Indications for primary implantation were in 64% atrioventricular block (AV) grade III, in 11% AV block grade II, in 22% disease of the sinoatrial node and in 4% other dysrhytmias. The age category above 60 years accounts for 85.5% in the group of primary implantations. A positive feature is the low incidence of complications of surgical and technical nature. An unfavourable feature is that almost all implanted devices were the simplest single electrode systems where the frequency cannot be adapted and where other parameters cannot be changed.