Unusual Treatment of Pacemaker Pocket Infection: A Case Report

Abstract

Pocket infection of a cardiac device is usually treated by removing the device and re-implanting it in a new site after complete treatment of the infection. This report illustrates a complicated case of pocket infection in the wake of the implantation of a permanent pacemaker (cardiac resynchronization therapy). The patient was treated conservatively through daily irrigation and dressing, broad-spectrum antibiotics, and debridement without the device being removed; the generator was kept out of the pocket for 5 weeks and then re-implanted in the same location successfully.
The method of treatment presented herein can be of value, not least in the elderly population who might experience life-threatening events following the replacement of their cardiac devices.