[Treatment of tachy-arrhythmias by implanted pacemaker (author's transl)]

A recently developed antitachycardic pacemaker was implanted into seven patients with drug-resistant tachycardias. The implantation was made after diagnosis of a tachy-arrhythmia by invasive techniques and after experimental determination of the effective site, optimal mode and effective frequency of stimulation, as well as the regulation and duration of impulse release. Thus the pacemakers were individually adapted to the particular arrhythmia. High-frequency stimulation and competitive stimulation were used as stimulation modes. The systems work automatically, triggered either by the ECG, the patient or externally. The frequency of attacks was significantly reduced in five patients, the duration of attacks in all.