Air entrapment as a cause of transient cardiac pacemaker malfunction.
Air within a pacemaker pocket may cause transient malfunction of a replacement unipolar cardiac pacemaker. This was noted in a patient in whom entrapped air prevented tissue contact of the anode, resulting in complete cessation of myocardial stimulation and absence of an electrocardiographic pacemaker artifact. Methods for avoiding this complication are proposed.
D000368:Aged; D000388:Air; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010138:Pacemaker, Artificial; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D019736:Prostheses and Implants / Q000379:methods; D012804:Sick Sinus Syndrome / Q000628:therapy