[Early and late complications of endocardial pacemaker wires (author's transl)]

Comparison of early and late complications of 769 endocardial pacemaker wires implanted in the period between 1969 and 1973 with 861 wires implanted between 1974 and 1978 revealed a decline of the complication rate from 17% to 7.6%. The dislocation rate could be lowered from 6.2% to 1.6%. Other early complications (exist and entrance block) were not effected (3.5% as compared with 3.2%). Late complications declined from 6.2% to 2.9%. Of these the number of intravascular wire breakages constitutes a high proportion. The main reason for this improvement is the use of a flexible Flange-tip lead. A variation of testing the positional stability of the wire is described.--The indications for pacemaker implantation shifted from 3rd degree AV-Block to the diagnoses "pathological bradycardia" and "hypersensitive carotis sinus". The comparatively low complication rate permits the application of new types of wires only in a few selected patients until a sufficient number of cases and an adequate follow-up period have been reached for clinical evaluation of these wires.