Telangiectatic erythematous cutaneous reaction to an implantable cardioverter defibrillator

A 76-year-old man developed progressive blanchable reticulate erythema at the implantation site of his third implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD). Despite reports of allergic contact dermatitis to implantable devices, extensive routine patch testing in our patient failed to identify a responsible allergen. The clinical presentation and pathologic evidence were consistent with reticular telangiectatic erythema that has been reported overlying pacemakers and, in the English literature recently, overlying ICDs in two patients. Reticular telangiectatic erythema is a benign reactive condition that is possibly due to a combination of aberrant local circulatory and physical forces such as heat, electric fields, or magnetic fields.