Volume 9, Number 6, June 2002

Complications associated with 64 temporary pacing wires implanted at a district general hospital – should this procedure be reserved for specialist centres?
Adam Brown, Barnaby Thwaites

This study assessed complication rates in 64 emergency temporary pacing procedures, of which atrioventricular block formed the largest group (72%). Of the in-hospital deaths, most (76%) were due to myocardial infarction, and none due to the procedure. Immediate complications occurred in 22%: arrhythmia or arterial puncture, and one hemiparesis. Late complications occurred in 34%: loss of capture, infection including one instance of staphylococcal septicaemia. No complications occurred in 59%. Involvement of a consultant in the procedure did not reduce complication rates. In such potentially unstable patients, the risks of not pacing or delaying pacing probably far outweigh those of immediate intervention.

Br J Cardiol 2002;9:339-342.

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