[Use of a temporal cardiac pacemaker in patients undergoing a major non-cardiac surgery]

This is a report of the use of transvenous temporal pacemaker in 18 patients, with an average age of 59.3 years, that under want non cardiac major surgery. They did not have cardiac simptoms but had conduction abnormalities in the preoperative electrocardiogram. A pacemaker was implanted as a prophylaxis against arrythmia during the transoperative and postoperative periods. There was no incidence of transoperative arrythmia. Three patients died in the immediate postoperative period, two due to duffuse carcinomatosis and one due to diabetic acidosis. The average duration of the implanted pacemaker was 12.7 days, and three patients required a permanent pacemaker. Case five is exemplificative of the benefits of the temporal pacemaker, he had a preoperative electrocardiogram showing trifascicular block, he was taken to the operating room and anesthesia was induced, the patient had a cardiac arrest but recovered without secuela; latter on a temporal pacemaker was inserted and the patient had surgery without cardiac problems.