Permanent Pacing Reduces Blood Pressure in Older Patients with Drug-resistant Hypertension: A New Pacing Paradigm?

Hypertension (HTN) is a major contributor to cardiovascular mortality. Many patients with drug-resistant hypertension (DRH) also require permanent pacing (PP). This large retrospective study evaluated the effect of PP for conventional PP indications in older patients with DRH. We reviewed the charts of 176 patients with dual-chamber PP and DRH. The effects of PP on systolic and diastolic blood pressure (sBP and dBP), the number of HTN-related medications, and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) were assessed at 6 months post-implantation and compared with pre-implantation values. Patients were followed up with for ≥72 months. Patients with a decline of >5 mmHg in sBP and decrease in at least one anti-HTN medication were defined as responders (126/176; P < .01). The mean decline in sBP was 9 mmHg, while that in dBP was 3 mmHg (P < .001 for both). Among responders, optimal reductions in sBP, dBP, and medications were seen at a stratification of >50% atrial pacing and <40% ventricular pacing (-12, -6.3, and -1.6, respectively). When right ventricular pacing of <50% was used for dichotomizing, the optimal atrial/ventricular pacing stratification was atrial pacing > 50% and ventricular pacing < 40% (-11.3, -6.3, and -1.6, respectively). A relationship between increasing atrial pacing and a decline in sBP was noted but did not reach statistical significance. However, of those responders who had a >10-mmHg decline in sBP, the majority were paced between 60%-100% in the atria. The LVEF did not change post-PP in either group. In conclusion, PP results in significant improvement in BP control. The observed association warrants further investigation.