Permanent pacemaker treatment at Gentofte hospital. A follow-up study with special reference to transvenous electrode complications, generator longevity and control procedures.

Results of a follow-up study of 125 patients treated with permanent pacemakers at Gentofte Hospital during the years 1962--1973 are presented. Complications with endocardial electrodes are reported and longevity curves of pacemaker units are given. The series shows a high frequency of electrode displacement in the first three months and battery exhaustion from the 18th to the 42nd month. The appearance of complications correlates with the frequences of check-up intervals. In order to predict pacing failure due to battery exhaustion, there would seem to be some merit in carrying out an oscilloscopic display of the pulse artifact in addition to the usual measurement of pulse frequency. The aim of this retrospective report is, by analysing a pacemaker series for sudden eletrode failures and battery longevity, to comment on the value of check-up procedures in an outpatient pacemaker clinic.