Erick M Carreras1, Walter J Duncan2, Ognjenka Djurdjev3, Andrew I M Campbell4. 1. Division of Pediatric Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery, Department of Surgery, BC Children's Hospital, Provincial Health Services Authority, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; Division of Cardiovascular Surgery, Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. 2. Division of Cardiology, Department of Pediatrics, BC Children's Hospital, Provincial Health Services Authority, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; Division of Cardiology, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. 3. Department of Measurement & Reporting, Provincial Health Service Authority, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. 4. Division of Pediatric Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery, Department of Surgery, BC Children's Hospital, Provincial Health Services Authority, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; Division of Cardiovascular Surgery, Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Electronic address: acampbell@cw.bc.ca.
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: The aim of our study was 2-fold: to determine the incidence of cardiac strangulation (CS) and to develop a clinical pathway to aid in the diagnosis and prognosis of CS. In <2 years, 2 cases of CS occurred in our institution, which caused much alarm and led to the study's objectives. METHODS: All patients who underwent implantation of an epicardial pacemaker from January 1992 to March 2012 were included. There were no exclusion criteria. Health records were used to locate all subjects and gather all retrospective data. Prospectively, subjects without a chest radiograph from the previous 2 years were approached for imaging. RESULTS: This study included 86 patients retrospectively, and 84 patients prospectively. There was a 2.3% incidence, and a 1.2% mortality, related to CS. A pattern of posterior looping of the ventricular lead was seen in radiographs of both CS-diagnosed patients. Five variables were significantly associated with an outcome of CS (P = .0153). CONCLUSIONS: Our data indicate that the 2 cases of CS were not caused by a lack of follow-up but by a lack of consistent imaging for diagnosis. This conclusion is supported by the 8 cases of CS found in the English-language literature. If the patient is age ≤6 months at the time of implantation, particular attention should be given to the placement of leads and follow-up.
OBJECTIVES: The aim of our study was 2-fold: to determine the incidence of cardiac strangulation (CS) and to develop a clinical pathway to aid in the diagnosis and prognosis of CS. In <2 years, 2 cases of CS occurred in our institution, which caused much alarm and led to the study's objectives. METHODS: All patients who underwent implantation of an epicardial pacemaker from January 1992 to March 2012 were included. There were no exclusion criteria. Health records were used to locate all subjects and gather all retrospective data. Prospectively, subjects without a chest radiograph from the previous 2 years were approached for imaging. RESULTS: This study included 86 patients retrospectively, and 84 patients prospectively. There was a 2.3% incidence, and a 1.2% mortality, related to CS. A pattern of posterior looping of the ventricular lead was seen in radiographs of both CS-diagnosed patients. Five variables were significantly associated with an outcome of CS (P = .0153). CONCLUSIONS: Our data indicate that the 2 cases of CS were not caused by a lack of follow-up but by a lack of consistent imaging for diagnosis. This conclusion is supported by the 8 cases of CS found in the English-language literature. If the patient is age ≤6 months at the time of implantation, particular attention should be given to the placement of leads and follow-up.
Authors: Olga Yu Dzhaffarova; Liliya I Svintsova; Elena O Kartofeleva; Sergey N Krivolapov; Evgeny A Svyazov; Irina V Plotnikova; Sergey V Popov Journal: JACC Case Rep Date: 2022-06-22