Chest pain following permanent pacemaker insertion… a case of pneumopericardium due to atrial lead perforation

Permanent pacemaker (PPM) implantation is an increasingly common procedure with complication rate estimated between 3% and 6%. Cardiac perforation by pacemaker lead(s) is rare, but a previous study has shown that it is probably an underdiagnosed complication. We are presenting a case of a patient who presented 5 days after PPM insertion with new-onset pleuritic chest pain. She had a normal chest X-ray (CXR), and acceptable pacing checks. However, a CT scan of the chest showed pneumopericardium and pneumothorax secondary to atrial lead perforation. The pain only settled by replacing the atrial lead. A repeat chest CT scan a few months later showed complete resolution of the pneumopericardium and pneumothorax. We believe that cardiac perforation can be easily missed if associated with normal CXR and acceptable pacing parameters. Unexplained chest pain following PPM insertion might be the only clue for such complication, although it might not always be present.