[Postmortem analysis of the group of patients treated with implantable electronic medical devices--study design]

The purpose of this article is to present the aim of analysis of the group of patients treated with implantable electronic medical devices and to address pathologists who could possibly like to participate in the project. The number of implantable devices has been growing up--estimated number of annual increase in the number of implanted pacemakers recently has been about 225 000 just in the USA, number of implantable cardioverter-defibrillators is similarly increasing. Number of pacemaker implantations in Czech Republic was 4590 in 1995, in 2001 6025 patients. Number of ICD implantations in Czech Republic in 1995 was 60 patients, in 2004 650 patients. The aetiology of death depends on type of device--in group of patients with implantable cardioverter-defibrillators it is mostly cardiac death, in group of patients with pacemaker dominate non-cardiac death. Recent data shows assumption of malfunctions in 3-15 %. Post-mortem evaluation of electronic medical devices should be standard praxis.