Behavior of an automatic pacemaker sensing algorithm for single-pass VDD atrial electrograms

Single-pass VDD pacemakers have been used as a result of simple implantation procedures and generally reliable atrial tracking. However, there is a controversy over their reliabilities of atrial tracking. As a new sensing method for reliable atrial tracking, a simple automatic pacemaker sensing, algorithm was implemented and evaluated to validate its benefits in sensing depolarization waves of single-pass VDD atrial electrograms. The automatic sensing algorithm had a predetermined sensing dynamic range and the sensitivity level was controlled as 50% of the average of two most recently sensed intrinsic amplitudes. The behavior of the automatic sensing algorithm in the single-pass VDD atrial electrograms was analyzed and characterized. It was observed that the automatic sensing algorithm was more effective than a conventional fixed threshold method to accurately detect and track p-waves in SVDD electrograms.