Recent Advances in Pacing and Defibrillation

Abstract

Cardiac pacemakers have been the standard therapy for patients with bradyarrhythmias for several decades. The pacing lead is an integral part of the system, serving as a conduit for the delivery of energy pulses to stimulate the myocardium. However, it is also the Achilles’ heel of pacemakers, being the direct cause of most device complications both acutely during implant and chronically years afterwards. Leadless pacing with ultrasound-mediated energy has been demonstrated in animals and humans to be safe and feasible in acute studies. Implantable defibrillators revolutionised the treatment and prevention of sudden cardiac death. Subcutaneous implantable defibrillators have been under development for more than 10 years. A permanent implantable system has been shown to be feasible in treating induced and spontaneous ventricular tachyarrhythmias. These developments and recent advances in pacing and defibrillation will arouse further interest in the research and development of leadless cardiac implantable electronic devices.