Pacemakers do more than help the faint of heart - they also can revive those who faint suddenly and often, researchers said Friday.
The devices that stabilize heartbeats are not for everyone with fainting disorders, but a Canadian study of 46 frequent fainters found they cured an overwhelming majority, said lead researcher Dr. Stuart J. Connolly.Connolly, a cardiologist and health science professor at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, announced his findings at the North American Society of Pacing and Electrophysiology meeting in New Orleans. The study was paid for by Medtronic Inc., a pacemaker manufacturer.
People generally faint when their heart rates or blood pressure drop suddenly. Doctors have been divided on whether to implant pacemakers as a treatment, because the devices can't raise blood pressure and because many patients are relatively young.
But Connolly said his two-year study ended three months early because it was obvious that pacemakers helped the fainters.
Pacemakers were implanted in 24 patients with the fainting disorders, while 22 patients went without the pacemakers, Connolly said. Thirteen of the 22 patients without the devices - still suffered fainting spells, while only four of the 24 patients with pacemakers kept fainting, he said.