14th International Congress
THE "NEW FRONTIERS"
OF ARRHYTHMIAS 2000

Jan. 29 - Feb. 5, 2000
Marilleva, Trento, Italy

RT-49

Heart rate variability in ventricular rate-responsive pacing in children: a useful tool to evaluate heart rate physiology?

Massimo Stefano Silvetti, Paolo Versacci, Silvia Anaclerio, Fabrizio Drago, Roberto Teodoro Bock*, Antonella Santilli, Emanuela Pompei, Andrea Spampinato**, Pietro Ragonese.
Department of Pediatric Cardiology, Bambino Gesu Hospital, Roma, *S. Camillo De Lellis Hospital, Rieti; **Villa Tiberia Hospital, Roma, Italy

Introduction

In children with complete atrioventricular block, because of the small body size, the difficulties of venous access, the peculiarity of implant technique, and, moreover, the expected long duration of pacing that will expose the patient to many pace-maker substitutions and to leads removal, the system of choice is ventricular pacing^1,2 that, eventually, can be later upgraded to DDD or VDD system when the child has grown up^2,3. Rate-responsive ventricular pacing can increase heart rate during exercise, although this pacing mode is not physiological⁴. Gold standard for rate modulation is the normal sinus node⁵. Heart rate variability (HRV) is a useful tool to assess the autonomic modulation of the sinus node⁶. Aim of this study is the comparison of HRV in children with VVIR pacemakers and age-matched controls to evaluate if this not-physiological pacing mode can mimic a normal behaviour in Holter recordings.