Overdrive Pacing

Excerpt

Temporary cardiac pacing (TCP) is a type of exogenous cardiac pacing in which an external energy source delivers electrical impulses to stimulate the heart to contract faster than its native rate. This intervention can be used to over-ride a malignant tachydysrhythmia or compensate for symptomatic bradycardia. TCP is typically used for dysrhythmias refractory to pharmacological therapies or cardioversion. Temporary cardiac pacing is not a new intervention; it was first attempted in 1952 when Paul Zoll used hypodermic needles in the chest wall to deliver a pulsating external current for two patients with asystole. Today, TCP is available in a broad spectrum of critical care settings, from pre-hospital to the intensive care unit, delivered via a variety of modalities, including transcutaneous, transvenous, epicardial, and transesophageal. This activity will focus on temporary cardiac pacing in critical care settings.