2.) Group comparison of preoperative rhythm disorders and device data
Comparing the underlying rhythm disorders, it could be observed that in the EL group, there was a significantly higher proportion of atrio-ventricular (AV) blockages (69.2%), the highest proportion of primary prophylactic implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) patients (73.3%), and the highest proportion of cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) systems (54%). As expected, AV blockages were least common in the SR group with 28.2%. Conversely, the proportion of sinus node disorders as an indication for pacemaker implantation was highest in this group. Furthermore, considering the type of implanted devices, it can be seen that in the SR and EL groups, there was a comparable distribution between the implanted pacemaker (43.8% vs. 46.4%) and defibrillator systems (56.2% vs. 53.6%), while in the SI group there was a significantly higher proportion of implanted pacemakers (61.6%).
When looking at the age of the implanted leads, we found the oldest pacemaker electrodes (8.6 years) in the SR group, and the oldest defibrillator leads in the EL group (8.7 years). In contrast, the ICD- and pacemaker leads with the shortest implant duration were seen in the SI group (Tab. 1).