Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2019 Jan 1;8(1):35.
doi: 10.3390/jcm8010035.

Safety of Permanent Pacemaker Implantation: A Prospective Study

Mª Reyes Carrión-Camacho  1   2 , Ignacio Marín-León  3 , José Manuel Molina-Doñoro  4 , José Rafael González-López  5
Affiliations

Safety of Permanent Pacemaker Implantation: A Prospective Study

Mª Reyes Carrión-Camacho et al. J Clin Med. .

Abstract

Although pacemaker implantation is considered to be low risk, it is not exempt from complications and technical failures during the procedure, both in the short and long term, and the complications that such patients may present remain unknown. The aim has been to analyze the complication rates associated with permanent pacing and to identify if these differ between patients with or without previous antithrombotic therapy. We used a prospective, single center, observational study of 310 adult patients with indications of permanent pacing. They were hospitalized from 1 January to 31 December 2014 and followed up for 6 months after the pacemaker implant. The participants were distributed into two groups according to the antithrombotic therapy prior to the implant. The most frequent major complications were pneumothorax (3.87%) and lead dislodgement (8.39%), while superficial phlebitis (12.90%) and uncomplicated hematomas (22.58%) were presented as the most recurrent minor complications. Hematomas were the most frequent minor complication in the antithrombotic therapy cohort, and shoulder pain was reported as the most recurrent minor complication in the non-exposed group. Finding out about complications in pacemaker implants enables a complete view of the process, and hence the prioritization of actions aimed at improving safety and reducing associated risks.

Keywords: anticoagulant drugs; artificial; outcome assessment; pacemaker; patient safety; postoperative complications; prospective studies.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

References

    1. Raatikainen M.J.P., Arnar D.O., Merkely B., Nielsen J.C., Hindricks G., Heidbuchel H., Camm J.A. Decade of Information on the Use of Cardiac Implantable Electronic Devices and Interventional Electrophysiological Procedures in the European Society of Cardiology Countries: 2017 Report from the European Heart Rhythm Association. EP Europace. 2017;19:ii1–ii90. doi: 10.1093/europace/eux258. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Ector H., Vardas P. Current use of pacemakers, implantable cardioverter defibrillators, and resynchronization devices: Data from the registry of the European Heart Rhythm Association. Eur. Heart J. Suppl. 2007;9:I44–I49. doi: 10.1093/eurheartj/sum062. - DOI
    1. Andalusian Health Service, Ministry of Health and Welfare . Report 2016 Virgen del Rocío University Hospital. Virgen Macarena-Virgen del Rocío University Hospital; Seville, Spain: 2017.
    1. Marine J.E., Brinker J. Techniques of pacemaker implantation and removal. In: Ellenbogen K.A., Kaszala K., editors. Cardiac Pacing and ICDs. 6th ed. John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated; Somerset, NJ, USA: 2015. pp. 150–210.
    1. Hojs R., Ekart R., Bevc S., Hojs N. Biomarkers of Renal Disease and Progression in Patients with Diabetes. J. Clin. Med. 2015;4:1010–1024. doi: 10.3390/jcm4051010. - DOI - PMC - PubMed