title: Intracardiac migration of operatively placed epicardial pacing leads.
abstract: This study describes intracardiac migration of epicardial pacemaker leads after open heart surgery in 2 patients. Discovery of these pacemaker leads or remnants led to diagnostic confusion until an appropriate diagnosis was established by both invasive and noninvasive means. Intracardiac migration of epicardial pacemaker leads has only rarely been reported. Migration to other noncardiac organs has also been reported infrequently. Awareness of this unusual occurrence should avoid postoperative confusion in recognizing origin of said artifacts.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology and Cardiovascular Surgery, Lakewood Regional Medical Center, Lakewood, California 90712, USA.
authors.forename: Richard D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Spellberg
authors.forename: Jack E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Dobkin
authors.forename: Sam
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Soleymani
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002304:Cardiac Pacing, Artificial / Q000009:adverse effects; D001026:Coronary Artery Bypass / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000379:methods; D023921:Coronary Stenosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery; D020878:Device Removal / Q000379:methods; D015150:Echocardiography, Doppler / Q000379:methods; D017548:Echocardiography, Transesophageal / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D005548:Foreign-Body Migration / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery; D006327:Heart Block / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007431:Intraoperative Complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010138:Pacemaker, Artificial / Q000009:adverse effects*; D011859:Radiography; D035583:Rare Diseases; D012086:Reoperation / Q000379:methods; D018570:Risk Assessment; D016896:Treatment Outcome