Effects of atorvastatin application on atrial high rate episodes in dual-chamber paced patients with hypertension

AIM:To determine the effectiveness of atorvastatin treatment on reducing the occurrence of atrial high rate episodes (AHREs) recorded by pacemakers in sick sinus syndrome (SSS) patients with hypertension after dual-chamber pacemaker implantation. METHODS: Forty nine SSS patients with hypertension and accepted treatment of dual-chamber pacemaker implantation were enrolled in this study and were divided into treatment and control groups for a 12-month follow-up. Patients in the control group (n=25) were treated with standard therapy practices after dual-chamber pacemaker implantation, whereas patients in the treatment group (n=24) were prescribed atorvastatin at a dosage of 20 mg/day combined with standard therapy practices until the end of the study. C-reactive protein and serum lipid levels were examined at baseline and after follow-up. During the visits, the pacemaker memories were recorded. The frequency of AHREs (times/year, those that were longer than 5 min were recorded), duration of the AHREs (h/year), percentage of atrial pacemaking ［AP(%)］ and percentage of ventricular pacemaking ［VP(%)］ were recorded. SPSS v.16.0 software package was used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: 1. Times and duration of AHREs in the treatment group were significantly lower than what was observed in the control group (P<0.05). Comparisons of AP(%) and VP(%) between groups did not show significant differences. 2. At the end of follow-up, hs-CRP levels in the treatment group showed a marked decrease compared to those in the control group (P<0.05). 3. hs-CRP level during follow-up, respectively, correlated well with AHREs times and AHREs duration. 4. Serum lipid profile in the treatment group was ameliorated at the end of treatment (P<0.05) compared with that in the control group. CONCLUSION: Atorvastatin can decrease the frequency and duration of AHREs after dual-chamber pacemaker implantation. It is possible that the mechanism may have a relationship with the anti-inflammatory actions and ameliorating serum lipid of statins.