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An office-based exercise protocol for predicting chronotropic response of activity-triggered, rate-variable
D G Benditt1, M Mianulli, J Fetter
1Department of Medicine (Cardiovascular Division) University of Minnesota, Minneapolis.
The American Journal of Cardiology
|July 1, 1989
Summary
Simple exercise tests can help estimate pacemaker rates for patients. This allows for easier selection of appropriate settings for activity-triggered, rate-variable pacing systems.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Biomedical Engineering
- Exercise Physiology
Background:
- Activity-triggered, rate-variable pacing systems aim to provide appropriate heart rate responses.
- Optimizing settings for these pacemakers typically requires treadmill exercise testing.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate simpler exercise procedures for predicting optimal settings in Activitrax pacemakers.
- To compare pacing rates during arm exercise, walk-in-place exercise, and treadmill exercise.
Main Methods:
- Assessed pacing rates of "strapped-on" and implanted Activitrax pacemakers.
- Exercise protocols included arm exercise, walk-in-place exercise, and treadmill exercise at varying speeds.
- Linear regression analysis was used to compare pacing rates across different exercise types.
Main Results:
- Steady-state pacing rates during arm and walk-in-place exercise were lower than during treadmill exercise.
- Arm exercise showed slopes closest to 1.0 at low activity thresholds; walk-in-place approached 1.0 at all thresholds.
- Differences between strapped-on and implanted devices were narrow (-6% to -14%).
Conclusions:
- Simple exercise tests in an office or clinic setting can estimate pacing rates during physical activity.
- These simpler procedures may facilitate the selection of appropriate programmable settings for Activitrax pacemakers.
- This approach offers a potentially more accessible method for optimizing pacemaker function in patients.