The cardiology exams

THE IMPLANTATION OF A PACEMAKER
(and of an AUTOMATIC IMPLANTABLE DEFIBRILLATOR)

- A few explanations
- Mode and principle of the cardiac stimulation
- Implantation of the cardiac pacemaker
- Possible complications
- Your cardiac pacemaker carrier's follow-up
- What can cause your cardiac pacemaker to malfunction

POSSIBLE COMPLICATIONS OF THE IMPLANTATION OF THE CARDIAC PACEMAKER

The complications of the cardiac stimulation are rare and break down as precocious complications, at the time of the implantation and just after, and in belated complications.

The precocious complications correspond to:

Local complications on the implantation site, as a haematoma, an infection, a stimulation of the pectoral muscle responsible for jolts of this muscle;

Complications bound to the puncture of the vein, capable of being responsible for a pneumothorax, a phlebitis or a sparkling embolism;

Cardiac complications, like a perforation of the heart muscle or the occurrence of a blood effusion in the envelope surrounding the heart, the pericardium (illness then named haemopericardium);

The displacement of a probe in the heart is also possible just after setting it up.

The belated complications correspond to:

- Local complications on the implantation site, as the infection, the displacement of the case, the exteriorisation of the case and the constitution of a blood clot (phlebitis) around the probe.

- Complications bound to the stimulation probe: displacement of the probe, anomaly of stimulation and detection of the natural cardiac activity, fracture of the insulator or of the electric wire driving the nervous impulse.

- Complications bound to the stimulation case, which can go out of order because of the existence of interferences.

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File last reviewed on dec 18, 2011