This project is designed to assess the efficacy of short term biventricular pacing in two groups of children. The first are those who have recently undergone open heart surgery and have evidence of cardiac dysfunction. In these patients, temporary pacing wires will be placed on 2 to 3 separate ventricular sites and a comparison of hemodynamics and cardiac output performed with both single site and multiple site pacing. The second group of patients are those with chronic heart failure who present for cardiac evaluation prior to consideration for heart transplantation. During the cardiac catheterization to assess their hemodynamic status, temporary pacing catheters will be placed in at least 2 sites. Multi site pacing will be performed and repeat measures of cardiac output and vascular resistance will be performed.

I hope to have one of our cardiology fellows involved in this project. A participating student would be given an introduction to the study design and the physiologic basis for the proposed research. They would be expected to digest, with assistance, additional background reading to supplement their understanding of the project. The student's role would be to assist in the identification of potential patients, compilation of data and the data analysis. Ultimately the student would also be involved in presentation of the results at a national or regional meeting as well as in a peer-reviewed journal.