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Complications in Dual Chamber Pacing: A Six‐Year Experience
Author(s) -
MARKEWITZ ANDREAS,
HEMMER WOLFGANG,
WEINHOLD CHRISTIAN
Publication year - 1986
Publication title -
pacing and clinical electrophysiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.686
H-Index - 101
eISSN - 1540-8159
pISSN - 0147-8389
DOI - 10.1111/j.1540-8159.1986.tb06663.x
Subject(s) - medicine , single chamber , complication , lead (geology) , surgery , cardiac pacing , anesthesia , cardiology , geomorphology , geology
In a six‐year period (1980–1985), 345 dual chamber pacing systems were implanted in our hospital. Intraoperative complications were rare (n = 5/345 = 1.4%). 25 patients (7%) have died, 11 (3%) were lost follow‐up. A total of 39 patients (13%) showed minor problems, which could be overcome by reprogramming. Another 48 complications (15%) required reoperation. Nearly 70% of those reoperations (n = 31/48) were caused by a malfunction of the atrial lead. This high complication rate of 9% related to all implanted atrial leads could be reduced in the last three years to 2%. We could maintain a dual chamber stimulation mode (DDD, DDI, DVI, VDD) in 396 patients (99%). We conclude that improvements in lead design, pulse generator's programmability, and surgical experience have reduced complication rates to acceptable low values. Meanwhile, dual chamber pacing con be considered as safe as single chamber pacemaker therapy.