### Abbreviations

1st AV
: First-degree atrioventricular block
AF
: atrial fibrillation
AT
: atrial tachyarrhythmia
ATP
: Anti-tachycardia pacing
AV
: atrioventricular
BBB
: bundle branch block
CHF
: congestive heart failure
CI
: confidence interval
CPG
: Committee for Practice Guidelines
CRT
: cardiac resynchronization therapy
CRT-D
: cardiac resynchronization therapy and defibrillator
CRT-P
: cardiac resynchronization therapy and pacemaker
ECG
: electrocardiogram
EDMD
: Emery-Dreifuss muscular dystrophy
EF
: ejection fraction
EPS
: electrophysiological study
ESC
: European Society of Cardiology
HCM
: hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
HF
: heart failure
HR
: hazard ratio
HV
: His-ventricular
ICD
: implantable cardioverter defibrillator
ILR
: implantable loop recorder
IVCD
: intraventricular conduction delay
LBBB
: left bundle branch block
LQTS
: long QT syndrome
LV
: left ventricular
LVEF
: left ventricular ejection fraction
LVSD
: left ventricular systolic dysfunction
MR
: mitral regurgitation
MRI
: magnetic resonance imaging
NYHA
: New York Heart Association
PM
: pacemaker
OR
: odds ratio
QALY
: quality-adjusted life year
RBBB
: right bundle branch block
RCT
: randomized controlled trial
RV
: right ventricular
SB
: sinus bradycardia
SNRT
: sinus node recovery time
SR
: sinus rhythm
SSS
: sick sinus syndrome
TAVI
: transcatheter aortic valve implantation
VF
: ventricular fibrillation
VT
: ventricular tachycardia
VV
: interventricular (delay)

### Acronyms of the trials referenced in the recommendations or reported in the tables

ADEPT
: ADvanced Elements of Pacing Randomized Controlled Trial
ADOPT
: Atrial Dynamic Overdrive Pacing Trial
AOPS
: Atrial Overdrive Pacing Study
APAF
: Ablate and Pace in Atrial Fibrillation
ASSERT
: ASymptomatic Atrial Fibrillation and Stroke Evaluation in Pacemaker Patients and the Atrial Fibrillation Reduction Atrial Pacing Trial
ATTEST
: ATrial Therapy Efficacy and Safety Trial
AVAIL CLS/CRT
: AV Node Ablation with CLS and CRT Pacing Therapies for Treatment of AF trial
B4
: Bradycardia detection in Bundle Branch Block
BELIEVE
: Bi vs. Left Ventricular Pacing: an International Pilot Evaluation on Heart Failure Patients with Ventricular Arrhythmias
BIOPACE
: Biventricular pacing for atrioventricular block to prevent cardiac desynchronization
BLOCK-HF
: Biventricular versus right ventricular pacing in patients with AV block
B-LEFT
: Biventricular versus LEFT Univentricular Pacing with ICD Back-up in Heart Failure Patients
CARE-HF
: CArdiac REsynchronization in Heart Failure
CLEAR
: CLinical Evaluation on Advanced Resynchronization
COMBAT
: COnventional vs. Biventricular Pacing in Heart Failure and Bradyarrhythmia
COMPANION
: COmparison of Medical Therapy, Pacing and Defibrillation in Heart Failure
DANPACE
: DANish Multicenter Randomized Trial on Single Lead Atrial PACing vs. Dual Chamber Pacing in Sick Sinus Syndrome
DECREASE-HF
: The Device Evaluation of CONTAK RENEWAL 2 and EASYTRAK 2: Assessment of Safety and Effectiveness in Heart Failure
FREEDOM
: Optimization Study Using the QuickOpt Method
GREATER-EARTH
: Evaluation of Resynchronization Therapy for Heart Failure in Patients with a QRS Duration GREATER Than 120 ms
LESSER-EARTH
: Evaluation of Resynchronization Therapy for Heart Failure in Patients with a QRS Duration Lower Than 120 ms
HOBIPACE
: HOmburg BIventricular PACing Evaluation
IN-CHF
: Italian Network on Congestive Heart Failure
ISSUE
: International Study on Syncope of Unexplained Etiology
MADIT
: Multicenter Automatic Defibrillator Trial
MIRACLE
: Multicenter InSync RAndomized CLinical Evaluation
MOST
: MOde Selection Trial in Sinus-Node Dysfunction
MUSTIC
: MUltisite STimulation In Cardiomyopathies
OPSITE
: Optimal Pacing SITE
PACE
: Pacing to Avoid Cardiac Enlargement
PAVE
: Left Ventricular-Based Cardiac Stimulation Post AV Nodal Ablation Evaluation
PATH-CHF
: PAcing THerapies in Congestive Heart Failure II Study Group
PIPAF
: Pacing In Prevention of Atrial Fibrillation Study
PIRAT
: Prevention of Immediate Reinitiation of Atrial Tachyarrhythmias
POT
: Prevention Or Termination Study
PREVENT-HF
: PREventing VENTricular Dysfunction in Pacemaker Patients Without Advanced Heart Failure
PROSPECT
: PRedictors Of Response to Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy
RAFT
: Resynchronization–Defibrillation for Ambulatory Heart Failure Trial
RethinQ
: Cardiac REsynchronization THerapy IN Patients with Heart Failure and Narrow QRS
REVERSE
: REsynchronization reVErses Remodelling in Systolic left vEntricular dysfunction
SAFARI
: Study of Atrial Fibrillation Reduction
SCD HeFT
: Sudden Cardiac Death in Heart Failure Trial
SMART-AV
: The SMARTDelay Determined AV Optimization: a Comparison with Other AV Delay Methods Used in Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy
SYDIT
: The SYncope DIagnosis and Treatment
SYNPACE
: Vasovagal SYNcope and PACing
TARGET
: TARgeted Left Ventricular Lead Placement to Guide Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy
THEOPACE
: Effects of Oral THEOphylline and of Permanent PACEmaker on the Symptoms and Complications of Sick Sinus Syndrome
VASIS-PM
: VAsovagal Syncope International Study on PaceMaker therapy
V-HeFT
: Vasodilator in HEart Failure Trial
VPSII
: Second Vasovagal Pacemaker Study (VPS II)

Additional references are mentioned with ‘w’ in the main text and can be found on the online addenda along with 5 figures (1, 6, 7, 9, 11, 12) and 10 tables (3, 4, 5, 9, 11, 12, 19, 21, 22, 23). They are available on the ESC website only at http://www.escardio.org/guidelines-surveys/esc-guidelines/Pages/cardiac-pacing-and-cardiac-resynchronisation-therapy.aspx

Guidelines summarize and evaluate all available evidence, at the time of the writing process, on a …

https://repository.ukim.mk:443/bitstream/20.500.12188/7385/1/2013%20pacing%20and%20CRT.pdf

2013 ESC Guidelines on cardiac pacing and cardiac resynchronization therapy : The Task Force on cardiac pacing and resynchronization therapy of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). Developed in collaboration with the European Heart Rhythm Association (EHRA)

One quarter of strokes are of unknown cause, and subclinical atrial fibrillation may be a common etiologic factor. Pacemakers can detect subclinical episodes of rapid atrial rate, which correlate with electrocardiographically documented atrial fibrillation. We evaluated whether subclinical episodes of rapid atrial rate detected by implanted devices were associated with an increased risk of ischemic stroke in patients who did not have other evidence of atrial fibrillation. Methods We enrolled 2580 patients, 65 years of age or older, with hypertension and no history of atrial fibrillation, in whom a pacemaker or defibrillator had recently been implanted. We monitored the patients for 3 months to detect subclinical atrial tachyarrhythmias (episodes of atrial rate >190 beats per minute for more than 6 minutes) and followed them for a mean of 2.5 years for the primary outcome of ischemic stroke or systemic embolism. Patients with pacemakers were randomly assigned to receive or not to receive continuous atrial overdrive pacing. Results By 3 months, subclinical atrial tachyarrhythmias detected by implanted devices had occurred in 261 patients (10.1%). Subclinical atrial tachyarrhythmias were associated with an increased risk of clinical atrial fibrillation (hazard ratio, 5.56; 95% confidence interval [CI], 3.78 to 8.17; P<0.001) and of ischemic stroke or systemic embolism (hazard ratio, 2.49; 95% CI, 1.28 to 4.85; P = 0.007). Of 51 patients who had a primary outcome event, 11 had had subclinical atrial tachyarrhythmias detected by 3 months, and none had had clinical atrial fibrillation by 3 months. The population attributable risk of stroke or systemic embolism associated with subclinical atrial tachyarrhythmias was 13%. Subclinical atrial tachyarrhythmias remained predictive of the primary outcome after adjustment for predictors of stroke (hazard ratio, 2.50; 95% CI, 1.28 to 4.89; P = 0.008). Continuous atrial overdrive pacing did not prevent atrial fibrillation. Conclusions Subclinical atrial tachyarrhythmias, without clinical atrial fibrillation, occurred frequently in patients with pacemakers and were associated with a significantly increased risk of ischemic stroke or systemic embolism. (Funded by St. Jude Medical; ASSERT ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00256152.)

https://www.nejm.org/doi/pdf/10.1056/NEJMoa1105575

Subclinical Atrial Fibrillation and the Risk of Stroke

https://repub.eur.nl/pub/104203/REPUB_104203-OA.pdf

2017 HRS / EHRA / ECAS / APHRS / SOLAECE expert consensus statement on catheter and surgical ablation of atrial fibrillation

ESC Guidelines on cardiac pacing and cardiac resynchronization therapy

ESC Committee for Practice Guidelines (CPG): Alec Vahanian (Chairperson) (France), John Camm (UK), Raffaele De Caterina (Italy), Veronica Dean (France), Kenneth Dickstein (Norway), Christian Funck-Brentano (France), Gerasimos Filippatos (Greece), Irene Hellemans (The Netherlands), Steen Dalby Kristensen (Denmark), Keith McGregor (France), Udo Sechtem (Germany), Sigmund Silber (Germany), Michal Tendera (Poland) Petr Widimsky (Czech Republic), José Luis Zamorano (Spain)

Guidelines for cardiac pacing and cardiac resynchronization therapy

Although atrioesophageal fistula (AEF) formation is a well known, albeit rare, catastrophic complication of atrial fibrillation radiofrequency ablation procedures, there are less data regarding this complication using the cryoballoon technique. We report on 3 cases of AEF as a complication of cryoballoon pulmonary vein isolation at 3 different institutions with 2 different generations of cryoballoons.

Atrioesophageal fistula complicating cryoballoon pulmonary vein isolation for paroxysmal atrial fibrillation.

https://www.heartrhythmjournal.com/article/S1547-5271(08)01194-6/pdf

Raymond Kawasaki

Papers

Atrioesophageal fistula complicating cryoballoon pulmonary vein isolation for paroxysmal atrial fibrillation.

Impact of atrial prevention pacing on atrial fibrillation burden: primary results of the Study of Atrial Fibrillation Reduction (SAFARI) trial.