INDICATIONS FOR TEMPORARY AND PERMANENT C ARDIAC PACING

Temporary pacemaker therapy is defined as a limited electrical stimula tion of the heart with an external generator. This method is used in e mergency situations for patients with bradycardia or asystolia. Since the first implantation of a permanent pacemaker in 1958, the types of indications changed according to technological development of the gene rators. In former times, total AV-block of the heart was the classical indication. Today, also patients with bradyarrhythmia or sinus node d ysfunction are given a pacemaker based on hemodynamic findings. More p ossibilities in pacemaker programming also requires more education of physicians.