EMERGENCY TRANSESOPHAGEAL ATRIAL-PACING IN A PATIENT WITH A SEVERED PACEMAKER LEAD WIRE

Transesophageal atrial pacing (TAP) is useful in treating intraoperati ve bradycardia and hypotension (1-3), especially when associated with junctional mechanisms (4). TAP is particularly helpful during coronary artery bypass (CABG) surgery (5), particularly with repeat procedures (6). We report a case in which TAP was used for emergency cardiac pac ing when an implanted epicardial pacing wire was severed during cardia c surgery in a pacemaker-dependent patient with sick sinus syndrome.