Skin cover for exposed cardiac pacemakers

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Surgery
• Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery

Background:

• Exposed cardiac pacemakers pose infection risks and necessitate timely intervention.
• Skin flap coverage is a potential surgical solution for managing pacemaker site complications.

Observation:

• Three patients with exposed cardiac pacemakers underwent skin flap procedures.
• Two patients achieved successful, uncomplicated pacemaker coverage.

Findings:

• One patient required repeated plastic surgical procedures to ensure sustained pacemaker encapsulation.
• Despite initial challenges, continuous pacemaker function was maintained for approximately one year in the complex case.

Implications:

• Skin flap coverage is a viable, though sometimes complex, option for managing exposed cardiac pacemakers.
• Multistage reconstructive surgery can salvage pacemaker function in challenging clinical scenarios.
• Further research into optimizing skin flap techniques for pacemaker protection is warranted.