[Prognostic evaluation of sick sinus syndrome].

Altogether 114 patients with sick sinus syndrome (SSS) were followed up for 2-10 yrs. They were divided into 3 groups: the 1st group (33 patients) with the latent SSS, the 2nd group (44 patients) with the compensated SSS, and the 3rd group (37 patients) with the decompensated SSS. The lethality rate in the 1st group was 6.1%, in the 2nd group--9.1%, in the 3rd group--13.5% (statistically insignificant difference). Paroxysms of atrial fibrillation/flutter were observed in 36.4% of the patients of the 1st group, in 36.4% of the patients of the 2nd group, and in 37.8% of the patients of the 3rd group. Persistent atrial fibrillation/flutter was observed in the 1st group (9.1%), in the 2nd group (11.4%), and in the 3rd group (27%) (p1 = 3 less than 0.05; p2 = 3 less than 0.05). The lethality rate among the SSS patients with persistent atrial fibrillation/flutter was 38.9%, among the rest of the SSS patients--4.2% (p less than 0.01). The lethality rate among the decompensated SSS patients with cardiac pacemakers was 10.5%, without them--16.6% (p greater than 0.1).