Proceedings of a congress serve the purpose to provide the reader with the latest know­ ledge in the specific field. They present at least for a limited time period a reference book that allows rapid access to the latest information for the medical profession and for an ongoing of future research. This volume is addressed not only to the participants of the VIIth World Symposium on Cardiac Pacing but to everybody involved in diagnostic and therapeutic cardiac stimula­ tion. The experience has shown that proceedings of conferences of comparable size are usually published with a considerable time delay limiting its value as a source of prime informa­ tion. The editors of this volume decided therefore, that their most important task was to guarantee the actuality of the publication. Even if it seems desirable to include as many presentations of a conference as possible, the large number of excellent presentations at the VIIth World Symposium on Cardiac Pacing, 337 oral presentations and 236 posters, could not be published within an accepta­ ble time period. The experience from previous conferences has shown that a book which includes all the papers can only be edited with a large delay, which reduces the value and actuality of the information.

Organization of the Scientific Program.- Methods and Results of the Review Process.- Basic Electrophysiology.- Coronary Circulation, Myocardial Energetics and Pumping Efficiency under Cardiac Pacing.- Effects of Alteration in Cardiac Pacemaker Site on Myocardial Contractile Response to Inotropic Stimulation and Exercise in Conscious Dogs.- Effects of Reversible Cooling on Reentrant Tachycardia in Canine Infarction.- Electropharmacology of Diltiazem in a Chronic Canine Myocardial Infarction, Ventricular Tachyarrhythmia Model.- Late Potentials and Delayed Intrinsic Deflections - A Comparative Study in Acute Regional Ischemia in Isolated Porcine Hearts.- Sinus Node - Sinoatrial Conduction.- Ageing and Atrial Electrophysiologic Properties in Man.- Effectiveness of A-C Bypass Operation for Improvement of Sinus Bradycardia for Patients with Right Coronary Disease and Preoperative Pacing.- The Human Sinus Node Electrogram on the Overdrive Suppression Test and Estimated Sinoatrial Conduction Time Measurements.- A Study on Atrial Potential Characteristics and its Relation to ECG.- Blood Volume Changes and Sinus Node Function.- Loss of Sinus Activity after Long-Term Permanent VVI Pacing.- Long-Term Follow-Up of Paced Patients with Sick Sinus Syndrome.- Termination of Pacing in Patients with Sick Sinus Syndrome and Implanted Pacemakers who Developed Chronic Atrial Fibrillation.- AV-Conduction - VA-Conduction.- Electrophysiologic Effects of Reduced Oxygen Supply on the Transmembrane Potential and Membrane Current Systems of the Rabbit Atrioventricular Node.- Catheter Biopsy Assessed Cardiomyopathic and Postmyocarditic Changes in Cases with Atrioventricular or Intraventricular Conduction Disturbance.- Atrial Contribution in VVI Pacing.- Stability of A V Conduction in Patients with Implanted Atrial Pacemakers.- Atrio-Ventricular and Ventriculo-Atrial Conduction in Patients with Symptomatic Sinus Node Dysfunction.- Deleterious Clinical and haemodynamic Effects of V-A Retroconduction in Symptomatic Sinus Brady-Arrhythmias (S.S.B.) Treated with V.V.I. Pacing: Their Regression with A.A.I. Pacing.- Intra-Atrial Recording of Ventriculoatrial Conduction During Pacemakers'l Implantation.- A Comparative Analysis of the Effect of Glucagon and Atropine in the Sinus and Atrio Ventricular Nodes.- Conducting System Assessed by his Bundle Electrograms from the Permanent Atrial Electrode at Implantation.- Functional Sinoatrial Node Disorders: An Association with Dual Atrioventricular Node Pathways.- Early Clinical Experience with a DDD Pacemaker.- Influence of Physiological Pacing on Hemodynamics.- Comparison of Left Ventricular Myocardial Blood Flow During Atrial and Ventricular Pacing.- Influence of Atrio-Ventricular Contraction Interval on Hemodynamics.- The Effect of Pacing Mode on External Work and Myocardial Oxygen Consumption.- Left Ventricular Pump Function after Long-Term Treatment with Ventricular Pacing Compared to Atrial Synchronous Pacing.- Underestimation of Stroke Volume (SVI) and Cardiac Index (CI) by TM-Echocardiography During Ventricular Pacing.- Study of the Left Ventricular Performance During Sequential and Ventricular Pacing by QuantitatiYe Two Dimensional Echocardiography.- Mitral Valve Function and Cardiac Dimensions During Ventricular (VVI) and Sequential Atrio-Ventricular (DVI) Pacing. Echocardiographic Study.- Comprehensiye Evaluation of Ventricular Function During Physiological Pacing.- Cardiac Adaptation to Dynamic Exercise in Pacemaker Implanted Patients.- Doppler Ultrasound Measurement of Cardiac Output in Patients with Physiologic Dual Chamber Pacemakers.- Influence of Pacing Mode and Parameter of Left Ventricular Function (L VF) Measured by Tc-Nucleidventriculography (Tc-N).- Effect of Right Ventricular Pacing Rate on the Asynchronous Contraction of the Ventricles Studied by a Phase Analysis of Multigated RN Angiocardiogram.- New Generators.- Rate Responsive Pacing Using the TX Pacemaker.- A Pacemaker which Automatically Increases its Rate with Physical Activity.- Automatic Atrial-Guided Adjustment of Ventricular Pacing Rate in Complete AV Block.- Mixed Venous Oxygen Saturation for Rate Control of an Implantable Pacing System.- Output Programmable Pulse Generator Adjustment: Pulse Duration or Amplitude.- External-Type All-Purpose Cardiac Pacemaker.- Clinical Investigation of a Multi-Programmer.- Leads.- Polyurethane as a Pacemaker Lead Insulator.- Immunity Mechanisms Involved in the Degradation of Polyurethane Leads - A Comparison between Silicone and Polyurethane -.- Comparison of Lead Complications with Polyurethane Tined, Silicone Rubber Tined, and Wedge Tip Ventricular Pacemaker Leads.- A New Polyurethane and Process for Pacer Leads.- Ventricular Lead in Atrial Position.- Atrial Amplitude Mapping to A void P Wave Sensing Failure.- Comparison of Transvenous Atrial Electrodes Employing Active (Helicoidal) and Passive (Tined J-Lead) Fixation in 120 Patients.- Improved Electrophysiological Performance Using Porous-Surfaced Electrodes for Atrial Epicardial Pacing.- Comparative Studies of Ventricular and Atrial Stimulation Thresholds of Carbon-Tip Electrodes.- A New Steroid-Eluting Low Threshold Pacemaker Lead.- A Steroid-Eluting, Low-Threshold, Low-Polarizing Electrode.- Resistive Equivalent of Lead Impedance.- Effect of Pore Size on Threshold and Impedance of Pacemaker Electrodes.- A Comparison Study of Chronaxie, Rheobase and Threshold Values for Solid, Porous and Carbon Tip Electrodes.- An Even More Physiological Pacing: Changing the Sequence of Ventricular Activation.- Fifteen Year Experience with Atrial Electrodes and Pacing.- An A-V Data Lead System for Electrogram Detection.- Rates and Modes of Failure for Eight Lead Types in 703 Implants: A Four-Year Structured Study.- Flexibility of Permanent Intracardiac Electrode Leads. Achivieng a Balance between Perforation and Displacement.- Four Years Experience with the Bisping Transvenous Pacemaker Electrode.- Management of Pacemaker Patients.- Management of Pacemaker Patients - Basic Concepts.- Techniques for Permanent Transvenous Pacemaker Implantation: Personal Preferences.- Dual Chamber Pacing - Pacing Modes.- Symptom Control and Psychosocial Rehabilitation of Chronic Pacemaker Patients with Different Pacing Modes.- Follow-Up of Pacemaker Patients.- Dual Chamber Pacemakers - Follow Up.- Dual Chamber DDD Pacing: Initial and Early Follow-Up Assessments. Problems, Complications and Limitations.- Survival After Pacemaker Implantation.- Long-Term Follow-Up of Patients with Reused Implanted Pacemakers.- The Isotopic Cardiac Pacemaker: A Ten-Year Clinical Experience.- Complications in Cardiac Pacing.- 1) Arrhythmias.- Arrhyth…