The New England journal of medicine
-
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Clinical Trial
Benefit of atrial pacing in sleep apnea syndrome.
Many patients with sleep apnea syndrome have nocturnal bradycardia, paroxysmal tachyarrhythmias, or both, which can be prevented by permanent atrial pacing. We evaluated the effect of using cardiac pacing to increase the heart rate during sleep in patients with sleep apnea syndrome. ⋯ In patients with sleep apnea syndrome, atrial overdrive pacing significantly reduces the number of episodes of central or obstructive sleep apnea without reducing the total sleep time.