[Ambulatory pacemaker surgery]

The chronic cardiac stimulation is know since 1958, pacemaker implant was considered a difficult procedure that was performed through cardiovascular surgery and the patient required several in hospital days. On the grounds of new surgical techniques and development of new materials for pacemakers, as well as the rise of Ambulatory Surgery and its application in pacemaker implants, the hospital stay and consequently, costs have decreased significantly. In 1986, Zegelman reported 583 patients subjected to ambulatory pacemaker surgery without mortality. The purpose of this report it to evaluate the efficacy and safety of ambulatory pacemaker surgery. One hundred seventy seven patients from an ambulatory program and 95 from a traditional program were included. Hospitalization time was 15.7 +/- 15.1 hours in the first group and 238 +/- 188 hours for the second, prevalence of complications was 2.2% in the 272 patients. Complications for both groups were similar and were solved, without mortality. We conclude that the ambulatory pacemaker surgery is effective and safe for patients and is cheaper for hospitals. The success of this program depends on the number of implants in each hospital and the operator's experience.