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Reducing Right Ventricular Pacing Cuts Risk of Persistent Atrial Fibrillation in Pacemaker Patients

September 6, 2007

Medtronic announced trial results showing that reducing right ventricular pacing to less than 10 percent in patients with dual chamber pacemakers reduced the relative risk of persistent atrial fibrillation by 40 percent compared with conventional dual chamber pacing.

The trial’s objective was to demonstrate that dramatically reducing unnecessary right ventricular pacing can reduce the development of persistent atrial fibrillation, the company said. Atrial fibrillation, an electrical malfunction of the upper chambers of the heart that can lead to irregular heartbeats, is the most common side effect of pacemakers and can cause stroke or death.

Most Medtronic pacemakers available today, including the devices used in the trial, allow doctors to reduce unnecessary pacing to the right ventricle, which past studies have shown may lower the risk of developing atrial fibrillation and heart failure. The study is the first prospective, randomized controlled study looking at the effect of reduced right ventricular pacing on atrial fibrillation, shows the benefits of Medtronic’s technology in preventing the development of persistent atrial fibrillation, the firm said.

The trial, called SAVE PACe (The Search AV Extension and Managed Ventricular Pacing for Promoting Atrioventricular Conduction), was funded by Medtronic and is published in this week’s New England Journal of Medicine.