Risk factors for heart failure after right ventricular apical pacing

To explore the prevalence and risk factors for the onset of heart failure after right ventricular apical pacing. The clinical data of 1 343 patients with pacemaker implantation at our hospital from 2003 to 2008 were analyzed retrospectively. And the predictors of heart failure were evaluated by the Cox proportional hazard model and Kaplan-Meier method. During a median follow-up period of 71 (76±24) months, 303 patients (22.6%) developed a new onset of heart failure. Multivariate Cox analysis revealed that ≥65 years old (hazard ratio 2.37), a history of myocardial infarction (hazard ratio 2.16), VVI mode (hazard ratio 2.37), left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF)