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Case Reports
. 2018 Jul 22;10(7):e3027.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.3027.

Medical and Ethical Concerns Regarding Pacemaker Implantation in a Patient with Substance Use Disorder

Srilekha Sridhara  1 , Patricia A Mayer  2
Affiliations
Case Reports

Medical and Ethical Concerns Regarding Pacemaker Implantation in a Patient with Substance Use Disorder

Srilekha Sridhara et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

Medical and ethical dilemmas surrounding endocarditis and cardiac valve replacements related to intravenous drug use have been described often. Less well-described are dilemmas associated with pacemaker implantation in such patients. We describe a patient with a substance use disorder for whom a pacemaker was medically indicated.

Keywords: drug rehabilitation; ethics; intravenous drug use; pacemaker.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

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