CLINICAL TRIAL
JOURNAL ARTICLE
RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL
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Cardiac arrhythmias with external fixed-rate signal generators in shock wave lithotripsy with the Medstone lithotripter.

Urology 1998 April
OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the incidence and outcome of cardiac arrhythmias associated with an external fixed-rate generator and the Medstone lithotripter with regard to stone location, anesthesia type, patient age, and gender.

METHODS: Data were obtained on 933 patients who underwent shock wave lithotripsy (SWL) with the Medstone lithotripter. Patients were randomly divided into two study groups, including those with pre-existing cardiac disease, hypertension, and cardiac medications. Group 1 (576 patients) were treated with the external fixed-rate signal generator (cardiac simulator). Group 2 (357 patients) underwent electrocardiogram-gated SWL (no simulator). All patients were monitored for arrhythmias during SWL. Patients who developed arrhythmias on the simulator were converted to gated SWL.

RESULTS: In group 1, 463 patients (80%) had no arrhythmias during treatment, whereas 113 patients (20%) developed cardiac arrhythmias (primarily premature ventricular contractions [PVCs]) and were successfully converted to gated SWL. Only 1 patient in group 2 (0.3%) had a documented arrhythmia (PVC). Group 1 patients who developed arrhythmias with a cardiac simulator were more likely to have renal rather than ureteral stones. Chi-square analysis showed a significant correlation between patients with and without arrhythmias in group 1 with regard to stone location (P <0.0001). In group 1, regional anesthesia, intravenous anesthesia, and general anesthesia had an arrhythmia rate of 14%, 27%, and 38%, respectively. The only patient in group 2 who developed arrhythmias was under general anesthesia. The differences between groups 1 and 2, with regard to anesthesia type and arrhythmia, were statistically significant (P <0.001). No patients required additional medical therapy or hospitalization for cardiac events, and all patients safely completed the SWL treatment.

CONCLUSIONS: With careful monitoring and adequate precautions, external fixed-rate signal generators are safe, effective methods for pacing the Medstone shock wave lithotripter and probably other extracorporeal shock wave lithotripters.

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