Diagnosis and therapy of atrial tachyarrhythmias in the dual chamber implantable cardioverter defibrillator

Introduction: Devices capable of monitoring and treating atrial tachyarrhyt hmias provide information about the natural history of the arrhythmias and potentially can influence their natural course by electrical therapy early after onset. Methods and Results: Types of atrial arrhythmias and efficacy of device the rapies were evaluated in 30 patients implanted with the Medtronic model 725 0 jewel AF implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD). All patients had s tructural heart disease and documented sustained ventricular and atrial arr hythmias (27,vith atrial fibrillation [AF]) before implant. Twenty patients were taking amiodarone, and three were taking sotalol, During 20 +/- 10 mo nths of follow-up, 600 atrial arrhythmia recurrences were documented in 50% of patients. AF was diagnosed in 19%, fast polymorphic atrial tachycardia (AT) in 20%, fast monomorphic AT in 57%, and slow AT in 4% of episodes. The two adaptive pacing therapies, burst and ramp, together with the 50-Hz bur st, were successful in 57% of detected atrial arrhythmias. Burst and ramp w ere responsible for 49% and 50-Hz burst for 51% of successfully treated arr hythmias; 33% of the episodes terminated spontaneously. No ventricular proa rrhythmia was observed due to atrial pacing therapies. In 30% of episodes, dual chamber pacing was required due to post termination bradycardia, Atria l arrhythmia recurrences in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy were not a menable to pacing therapies. Several aspects of atrial arrhythmia diagnosis , therapy, and documentation that are specific for functioning of the Jewel AF are discussed. Conclusion: Atrial arrhythmias in ICD patients with diseased hearts who are taking Class III antiarrhythmics frequently had longer cycle lengths than AF. Half of these arrhythmias could be terminated with pacing therapies; on e third terminated spontaneously.