Runaway pacemaker.
We report a case of a runaway cardiac pacemaker in a hemodynamically unstable patient requiring surgical intervention for correction of the malfunction. The technique for gaining rapid access to the permanent pacemaker and disarming it, and for the utilization of a portable pacemaker generator to establish a normal heart rate is presented.
D000368:Aged; D001145:Arrhythmias, Cardiac / Q000209:etiology; D002304:Cardiac Pacing, Artificial / Q000379:methods; D004562:Electrocardiography; D004867:Equipment Design; D004868:Equipment Failure; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010138:Pacemaker, Artificial / Q000009:adverse effects*; D010146:Pain / Q000209:etiology; D013909:Thorax