Report of the NASPE Mode Code Committee.

The NASPE Mode Code Committee was formed in response to the growing need for efficient means of describing the function of increasingly complex single- and dual-chamber cardiac pacemakers. After considering numeric, alphabetic, and pictorial codes, the Committee recommended the adoption of two codes: a generic code which is similar to the Revised ICHD Code and is suitable for conversational use, and a specific code, based on one developed by Brownlee and others, that permits more detailed specification of both antibradycardia and antitachycardia functions. The specific code described in this report was adopted by the NASPE Executive Advisory Committee as the NASPE Specific Code in March, 1983. The generic code was not adopted but is described herein for future reference in the light of experience to be gained in the use of the recently published Revised ICHD Code.