Atrial pacing induced left ventricular dysfunction: reversibility after aortocoronary bypass surgery.

Three patients with angina pectoris were studied before and after aortocoronary bypass surgery. Angiographic studies were performed with and without atrial pacing. Preoperative atrial pacing in all three patients resulted in angina and/or ST segment changes accompanied by regional left ventricular contractile abnormalities, decreased ejection fraction, as well as decreased left ventricular end-diastolic and stroke volumes. After surgery with all grafts patent, atrial pacing at similar heart rates did not produce an ischemic response. Left ventricular contractile pattern remained normal, and there was no change in ejection fraction though end-diastolic and stroke volumes decreased. These studies demonstrate that aortocoronary bypass surgery can abolish both the ischemic response and left ventricular dysfunction that accompany atrial pacing.