Giuseppe Boriani, Mauro Biffi, Luigi Padeletti*, Andrea Spampinato**, Gian Luca Botto***, Carlo Pignalberi****, Andrea Grammatico°, Micol Piana°, Sergio Cavaglia°, Francesco De Seta°, Angelo Branzi.
*Clinica Medica, University of Firenze, **Villa Tiberia, Roma, ***S. Anna Hospital, Como. ****Universita Campus Biomedico Roma, °Medtronic Italia, Italy
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Consistent atrial pacing (CAP) algorithm has been
designed to achieve a high percentage of atrial pacing as a mean to prevent AF. The software
can be loaded into the RAM memory of the Medtronic Thera D (R) pacemaker via telemetry, using
a custom research telemetry device. As shown in figure 1, the algorithm monitors beat by beat
spontaneous atrial activity and continuously updates the atrial escape interval (AEI). After every
sensed atrial event outside post ventricular atrial refractory period (PVARP), AEI is shortened by
a programmable value, nominally 50 ms. After a programmable number, nominally 10, consecutive
atrial paces, the AEI is lengthened by a programmable time, whose value is nominally chosen as
long as 20 ms.
Fig. 1: Characteristics of functioning for CAP operation.
AEI shortening is limited by the upper rate, while AEI lengthening is limited by the lower rate.
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