The use of pacemakers and central venous catheters (CVC) has become commonplace in the field of medicine. In the past, superior vena cava (SVC) syndrome was almost always associated with malignant occlusion of the SVC. However, with the increased use of pacemakers and implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) almost 30% of all cases are related to the use of intravascular devices today. We...

Infections involving cardiovascular implantable electronic devices (CIEDs) remain an unfortunate indication for repeated device-related procedures, including extractions and reimplantations. Recurrent infections involving transvenous leads and superficial device pockets may eventually lead to epicardial lead implantation and generator placement in deeper tissue planes, both of which require a m...

Leadless cardiac pacemakers (LCP) appear to have lower risk of device infection and bacteremia compared transvenous systems. Heart transplant patients are at increased for cardiovascular implantable electronic complications, but there is limited data on the safety effectiveness LCPs in these patients; this especially true when repeat myocardial biopsies necessary. To report outcomes performance...

A 74-year-old man with a dual-chamber implantable cardioverter defibrillator implanted 3 years before experienced multiple ventricular tachycardias (VTs). All episodes were initiated by pacemaker-mediated tachycardia (PMT) that was either stopped by atrial undersensing or the tachycardia termination algorithm of the device. After the termination of PMT, two rapid ventricular paced beats, the fi...

A new site for burying an implantable pacemaker in infants and young children is described. The Medtronic sutureless screw electrode is applied to the diaphragmatic surface of the heart through a transxiphoid approach. The unit is inserted in the abdominal wall between the transversalis fascia and the transversus muscle. The method is simple, taking approximately 30 minutes to complete. It avoi...

Pacemaker/implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) lead endocarditis remains a challenging diagnosis in cardiology. Several parameters can be involved in the clinical path leading to the definite diagnosis. Clinical appearance and physical findings, together with transoesophageal echocardiography and serum levels of inflammatory parameters, are necessary in the workup towards the diagnosis....

The most frequent cause of syncope is vasovagal reflex. It is associated with worse quality of life, depression, fatigue and physical injury. Recurrence of vasovagal syncope is an aggravating, reaching the rate of 69%. Initial step and pharmacological treatment may not work, especially in patients with recurrent syncope without prodrome. These patients can present cardioinhibitory response with...

Asymptomatic subclavian vein occlusion following insertion of a permanent pacemaker (PPM) or implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) is not uncommon. We report a case of a dual-chamber PPM in a patient with an unrecognized left subclavian vein occlusion who developed massive left arm edema following ipsilateral implantation of an arteriovenous (AV) hemodialysis graft. We recommend that pat...

A 76-year-old woman with sarcoidosis who had an implantable pacemaker for complete atrioventricular block was admitted with syncope. Electrocardiogram revealed ventricular pacing failure, and a marked rise in the ventricular pacing threshold. 18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) indicated increased uptake of FDG in the ventricular septum. Three days after steroid therap...

Advancements in our understanding of cardiac conduction abnormalities and pathophysiology of congestive heart failure coupled with innovations in device manufacturing and programming have helped to create a demand for a plethora of newer cardiovascular devices over the past 3 decades. Appropriate use of cardiovascular implantable electronic devices (CIEDs) in carefully selected patients is asso...