IMAGES IN CARDIOLOGY

Ventricular Perforation by Pacemaker Lead

Perforación ventricular por catéter de marcapasos

MIGUEL RUBIO^MTSAC, MARÍA L. SÉSTITO, JULIO BALDI (H)

The images correspond to a 70-year-old female pa-tient with permanent DDD pacemaker implanta-tion in July 2012, without complications during the procedure and with good immediate device performance. Two years later, the patient underwent mi-tral valve replacement as a result of severe chronic mitral valve disease. Median sternotomy surgery revealed multiple loose adhesions and ground-glass opacity in the epicardium, and the presence of the distal end of the ventricular pacing lead in the pericardial cavity, perforating the right ventricular inferior wall (Figure 1). Review of the chest X-ray following pacemaker implantation indicated that the tip of the ventricular lead was placed in the pericardial cavity (Figure 2).

Conficts of interest

None Declared

Fig. 1.

Fig. 2.

Clínica Bazterrica, Buenos Aires, Argentina

^MTSAC Full Member of the Argentine Society of Cardiology