[Impact of electric cardiac stimulation on ventricular function and the natural history of patients with myocardiopathy].

There has recently been an increasing interest in beneficial effects of cardiac pacing in patients with myocardial diseases, especially in Obstructive Hypertrophic and Dilated Cardiomyopathy. The experience with dual-chamber pacing for obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is now important. DDD pacing for sinus rhythm patients and VVI pacing in patients with atrial fibrillation have shown considerable symptomatic improvement, with a significant decrease of angina, dyspnea, presyncope and frank syncope. It has been suggested that DDD pacing may prevent sudden death and improve survival rates in these patients, but this has not yet been established. The experience with DDD pacing in dilated cardiomyopathy is more limited, but in specially chosen patients, DDD pacing with short AV delay has shown symptomatic improvement and a decrease in the need for further hospitalization due to worsening of heart failure. There is no current evidence of higher survival rates with this treatment, but DDD pacing may be used in patients with end-stage dilated and isquemic cardiomyopathy who are waiting for a heart transplantation.