Gestatten steroidfreisetzende Schrittmacherelektroden eine Programmierung auf niedrigere Schrittmacher-Impulsamplituden? Schuchert A, Kuck KH, Meinertz T (1995) Dtsch. Med. Wschr. 120: 593-596  A study was undertaken on 107 patients (68 men, 39 women; mean age 68 (29-100) years) with steroid-eluting ventricular electrodes to determine whether in general these electrodes make it possible routinely to set pacemaker impulses at 2.5 V instead of 5.0 V with an impulse duration of 0.5ms. 3-12 months after implantation, impulse duration thresholds were 0.27 +/- 0.20 ms at 0.8 V, 0.13 +/- 0.09 ms at 1.6 V and 0.08 +/- 0.05 ms at 2.5 V impulse amplitude. Thus, employing a 100% margin of safety, it was possible to set the pacemakers of 103 among the 107 patients at 2.5 V and 0.5 ms. In four patients it was not possible to achieve the 2.5 V and 0.5 ms setting. With one exception (stimulation threshold rose immediately after a current accident) no circumstances arose under which thresholds increased. These results demonstrate that, using steroid-eluting electrodes, ventricles can be reliably stimulated with 2.5 V and 0.5 ms in 96% of patients. However, since it is not possible in all patients, optimal stimulation parameters must be determined in each patient even when steroid-eluting electrodes have been implanted.