Assessment of Cognitive Function in Patients with Single Chamber versus Physiologic Pacing

Abstract

here is a strong relationship between the cardiovascular diseases and cognitive impairment. Many studies have been conducted in order to assess the cognitive abilities among patients with AF and silent strokes. Also patients who suffered from symptomatic bradycardia as a result of high degree AV block or Sinus node dysfunction were subjects of interest in many studies in assessing their cognitive abilities. Most of these studies showed a significant improvement in intellectual function in elderly patients after pace maker implantation. However, the type of pacing mode was not fully covered in order to optimize the mode of pacing taking in consideration the complications of the procedures of different types of pacemaker implantation and the financial burden on the patients. From this point we started to recruit our patients and divide them in to 3 different groups, a group of DDD patients, a group of VVIR patients comparing them to age matched control group. Their cognitive abilities have been measured for 7 months. Nevertheless, because of the lack of objective methods in assessing the cognitive function we used the P300 evoked potential in addition to the Addenbrooke’s questionnaire for accurate measuring of cognitive abilities. All the results were compared to age matched control group. The results of this study came to prove