[Competitive rhythm as a complication of asynchronous electric cardiac stimulation]

The article analyses arrhythmias recorded in the hospital period in patients with various disorders of atrioventricular conduction in continous asynchronous stimulation of the heart. The frequency with which the competitive rhythm occurred in implantation of 134 asynchronous cardiostimulants was 11.9%. Mortality from its development was 18.8%. The authors believe unjustified widening of the scope of indications for asynchronous stimulation of the heart to be one of the main causes of parasystole. Strict adherence to these indications in conducive to marked decrease in the incidence of this complication but does not rule it out completely. Implantation of biocontrolled cardiostimulants, in cases with corresponding indications, is the optimum method for the prevention of competitive rhythm.