Short-term effect of external cardioversion on patients with pacemakers and atrial fibrillation/flutter

Abstract

Background: Previous case reports have demonstrated increased threshold and exit block due to external cardioversion (ECV).International guidelines from 2006 recommend that ECV is performed with anterior-posterior paddle orientation, that the anterior paddle is placed with minimum distance of 8 cm from the pulse generator, and that the cardiac device is interrogated before and after ECV. Currently, there are to our knowledge no larger studies that have examined the effect of ECV on pacemakers