[Management of pacemaker patients by bathtub ECG]

We evaluated the efficacy of a new method for recording electrocardiogram (ECG) of pacemaker patients in bathtub (bathtub ECG). ECG from the pacemaker implanted patients in the bathtub with tap water was recorded through three silver/silver chloride electrodes (4 x 4 cm) fitted on the inside wall of bathtub. Electric signal was connected to the isolated amplifier and recorded on the strip chart recorder. Contrast to the conventional method for recording standard ECG, bathtub ECG does not require body surface electrodes and is recorded at patients home. Although the amplitude of bathtub ECG was reduced approximately to a quarter of standard ECG, cardiac arrhythmia can be easily interpreted by bathtub ECG. In patients with pacemaker system, the amplitude of the pacing pulse recorded by bathtub ECG was much larger than that of QRS complex recorded by standard ECG. Therefore, we conclude that bathtub ECG would be a suitable method to follow up patients with pacemaker system.