THE MANAGEMENT OF HEART BLOCK

Abstract

In 1952, Zoll described a technique for artificial pacing of the heart. The method employed electrodes placed on the chest wall and electrical impulses of 2 msec. duration at 25-150 volts. Although this indirect technique proved successful in resuscitating and temporarily maintaining life in patients with Stokes-Adams attacks due to asystole, the high voltage required produced skin burns and painful contractions of the muscles of the thorax. Other methods were developed for the direct stimulation of the myocardium with low voltages, and permanent pacing of the heart with small pacemakers is now routinely performed (Bellet et al.