Ten-year follow-up on 1,000 patients with transvenous electrodes

One thousand patients given a transvenous electrode EMT 588 until mid-January, 1974, were followed up for a minimum of 10 years. Two hundred ninety-six patients survived this time or longer. Fully 30% of them were above the age of 70 when first paced. During the observation period, 34% of the survivors had electrode complications requiring electrode replacement. These occurred in almost 14% during the first year of treatment. Electrode failures during the first year were due mainly to dislocations and rises in the stimulation threshold, while later failures were caused chiefly by damage to the lead, which was caused, in part, by repeated pulse generator replacements and infections. Half of the patients who survived for more than 15 years have the original electrode, the oldest one now exceeding 22 years.