People that have survived, or are at high risk of a lifethreatening ventricular arrhythmia are routinely offered a defibrillator (ICD). An ICD is an implanted device which can recognise a ventricular arrhythmia and then try to treat it, either by rapidly pacing the heart or by shocking the heart. Currently, very fast ventricular arrhythmias, known as VF, can only be treated with a shock. Patients find shocks painful and this study is intended to find out whether it is possible to pace the heart at very high rates during VF. It is hoped that if this is possible, further research could lead to effective treatment of VF with pacing rather than shocks, and therefore better outcomes for patients.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
NON_RANDOMIZED
Purpose
OTHER
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
8
Defibrillation testing of cardiac defibrilator
Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
Leeds, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom
Rapid pacing of the heart
The primary outcome measure is to determine whether it is possible to obtain ventricular capture of the heart by repetitive pacing at very high rates during ventricular fibrillation.
Time frame: 10 seconds
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