Temporary cardiac pacemaker treatment in five Norwegian regional hospitals

Over the last few decades the number of temporary pacemaker placements has declined, while the number of operators has increased. The present study was undertaken in order to assess the quality of present day temporary pacing in Norwegian general hospitals.

Prospective, multi-center study from five general hospitals in Norway with a catchment area of 998,000 inhabitants. All temporary pacing procedures performed at these hospitals during a 1-year period should be registered.

Fifty patients were treated with temporary pacing and six repeated procedures were performed due to pacing failure. The yearly procedure-rate was five per 100,000 inhabitants. Twenty-nine physicians were involved in these procedures, of whom five were experienced implanters, and 18 physicians participated in only one procedure each. Following temporary pacing a permanent pacemaker was implanted in 60% of patients. In-hospital mortality was 18%, and the incidence of bacteremia was 6%.

Temporary pacemaker treatment is currently performed with less than the required amount of skill, with a high number of complications. Cardiologists on call and the possibility of fast-track permanent implantation could improve the quality of care of patients with acute bradyarrhythmias.