[Complications of permanent pacemaker. Event operator dependent? Analysis of 743 consecutive patients].

UNLABELLED

The complications of permanent pacemaker implant, are found among 6%-9% of patients. Different factors are related.

OBJECTIVES

We evaluated the complications related with pacemaker implants and which are the independent risk factors associated with them.

METHODS

Descriptive analysis, type case-controls, retrospective and prospective, including 743 consecutive patients, between January 2007 and April 2008.

RESULTS

Age: 73.83 ± 12 years, 63.9% male. 43% of the patients had some degree of structural cardiopathy. There were no deaths related to pacemaker implants. Implant procedure-related complications were observed in 57 patients (7.67%), requiring a surgical intervention in 34 patients (4.57%). The most serious complications included one device-related infective endocarditis (0.13%), the entire device system was extracted, and one pneumothorax following subclavian vein puncture with insertion of a chest tube. In the multivariate analysis, low level of operator experience and preimplant heart failure were independent predictors for complications.

CONCLUSIONS

In this consecutive series of patients with permanent pacemaker implant, there was a low rate of complications, similar to the reported international series. A low level of operator experience and preimplant heart failure were related.