Removal by Traction of Incarcerated Transvenous Pacemaker Electrode

To the Editor:— Cardiac pacing by transvenous electrode has extended this therapeutic modality to those too ill for thoracotomy. Thus, it is often temporarily used in rhythm disturbances due to myocardial infarction. The present development of demand impulse generators, which avoid the risk of competitive stimulation with resultant ventricular arrhythmia and fibrillation, will greatly increase the usefulness of the transvenous electrode in the management of myocardial infarction. Transvenous pacing has been beset with many complications. While improvement of impulse generators may reduce their related complications materially, the problems of the transvenous electrodes remain. These complications related to transvenous electrodes have been reported in the literature:1-7 Arrhythmias during insertion Bleeding Infection Thrombophlebitis Wound sepsis Subacute bacterial endocarditis Air embolization Phrenic stimulation Fracture of electrode Erosion of the electrode through the skin Perforation of the right ventricle Displacement of the electrode with loss of pacing. The transvenous electrode is quickly incorporated into