A coroner's request for closure: the value of the stored electrogram.
Pacemaker diagnostics can be useful to troubleshoot both during life and after death. A 58-year old man with a single chamber ventricular pacemaker and a previous His bundle ablation died suddenly. Interrogation of his pacemaker revealed the cause of death not as pacemaker malfunction, but a fatal ventricular arrhythmia.
Stevenson
Irene H
IH
Department of Cardiology, The Royal Melbourne Hospital, Victoria, Australia.
Mond
Harry G
HG
D002423:Cause of Death; D003334:Coroners and Medical Examiners; D004562:Electrocardiography; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008499:Medical Records; D008875:Middle Aged; D010138:Pacemaker, Artificial; D014693:Ventricular Fibrillation / Q000175:diagnosis*