Current practice and complications of temporary transvenous cardiac pacing

Information about the practice and complications of temporary cardiac pacing is remarkably limited. In Britain only two series have been published, and both reported the problems in patients referred to a regional cardiothoracic centre for permanent pacing who had undergone temporary pacing before transfer.1 2 This paper reports the first prospective study of temporary cardiac pacing in British district general hospitals. Of the 20 acute hospitals in the former Northern region, 18 participated in this six month prospective study. After each attempted pacing, the coronary care nursing staff completed a form which documented demographic details, the indication for pacing, and who performed (and supervised) the procedure. When more than one operator was involved the more senior doctor was recorded. Immediate complications (apparent by the end of the …