‘Dual-Chamber’ Pacemakers Are Found No Better Than Single in Most Cases

Expensive “dual-chamber” pacemakers that stimulate the heart in two places are no more effective than older, single-chamber devices for most patients, according to a study in today’s New England Journal of Medicine. But the research suggested that dual-chamber pacemakers may help patients whose rhythm problems originate at the sinus node, the place where the heart beat is initiated. Among that small group of patients, the quality of life improved significantly when they received a dual-chamber model.

The study, involving 407 volunteers at 29 medical centers, was done because of lingering uncertainty about which type of pacemaker is best for the nearly 190,000 Americans who receive one each year. The researchers, led by Dr. Gervasio Lamas of Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami, found that it usually made little difference whether patients received single-chamber pacemakers or a type of dual-chamber pacemaker.

Compiled by Times medical writer Thomas H. Maugh II