The total heart beats per 24 hours by ambulatory electrocardiography and the changes of heart rate by treadmill exercise test in sick sinus syndrome.

To study the clinical implications of the total number of heart beats per 24 hours (THB), 24 hour ambulatory electrocardiography and treadmill test were performed by sixty patients with sick sinus syndrome (SSS, 58 +/- 12 years old) who underwent overdrive suppression test. Results were compared with thirty control subjects (58 +/- 12 years old). The THB was 74 +/- 11 thousand beats in the SSS group and 99 +/- 10 thousand beats in the control group. The THB and the maximal heart rate (MHR) achieved during the treadmill test were significantly lower in the SSS group than in the control group. However, the exercise duration in patients with SSS was similar to that of the control subjects. The exercise duration and the MHR were correlated to age, but not to the THB in the patients with SSS. There was no significant relationship between the total heart beats per 24 hours and the maximal sinus node recovery time (max. SNRT). We conclude that the THB, independent of the max. SNRT, can be a useful index in diagnosing and assessing the quantity of bradycardia in patients with SSS. The tolerance of exercise and the MHR were not correlated with the THB, in patients with SSS.