Comparison of pacing electrodes of different shape and material--recommendations

Recommendations for comparing different pacing electrodes to one another are presented. In most reported studies, such comparisons fall short of the intended goal because they are made with electrode parameters that are not constant. The suggestions presented include timetables for acute and chronic threshold measurements, conditions for measuring lead impedance, and the relationship between rheobase and chronaxy. In addition, the effects of polarization of the electrodes are discussed.