Grado de satisfacción e impacto social y medioambiental en pacientes incluidos en un programa de seguimiento remoto de marcapasos / Degree of satisfaction and social and environmental impact in patients included in a remote pacemaker monitoring program

Resumen Objetivo: Describir el grado de satisfacción y el impacto sociolaboral y medioambiental de los pacientes de un programa de seguimiento remoto de marcapasos. Método: Estudio observacional prospectivo que incluyó 160 pacientes del programa de seguimiento remoto entre 2016 y 2017. Se pasó una encuesta de satisfacción a dichos pacientes y se cuantificó la disminución del CO2 emitido al reducir el número de visitas. Resultados: Los pacientes acudían acompañados (86%) y en coche (66%) la mayoría de las veces, y mostraron un grado de satisfacción «bueno o excelente¼ en un 96%. Se estima un ahorro de emisión de CO2 de casi un 10% por ciclo de seguimiento. Conclusiones: El seguimiento remoto de marcapasos implantado en nuestra unidad de arritmias reduce el impacto sociolaboral, económico y medioambiental.

Abstract Objective: To describe the degree of satisfaction and social, occupational and environmental impact of patients on our remote pacemaker monitoring programme run. Method: Prospective observational study including 160 patients on the remote pacemaker monitoring programme between 2016 and 2017. We handed out a satisfaction survey and quantified the decrease in CO2 emitted by reducing the number of visits. Results: The patients attended visits accompanied (86%) and by car (66%) most of the time. 96% of respondents said their degree of satisfaction was "good or excellent". We estimated a saving in CO2 emissions of almost 10% for each remote monitoring cycle. Conclusions: The remote monitoring of pacemakers implemented by our arrhythmia unit reduces the social, occupational, financial and environmental impact.

Morbimortalidad cardiovascular y variación del grado funcional en pacientes ancianos portadores de marcapasos / Medium-long term mortality and change in functional status in elderly patients with pacemaker

Resumen Antecedentes: Aproximadamente un 49% de los implantes se efectúan a individuos mayores de 80 años; sin embargo, la evidencia científica sobre mortalidad y cambio en la situación funcional de estos pacientes es muy pobre. Objetivo: Diseñamos un estudio prospectivo para analizar la morbimortalidad cardiovascular y la variación de su grado funcional a medio plazo en pacientes ancianos con electroestimulación permanente. Método: Estudio observacional prospectivo, que incluye 308 pacientes ancianos sometidos a implante de marcapasos en un hospital terciario entre 2012 y 2014. Como variables principales se evaluaron eventos cardiovasculares, mortalidad y grado funcional, con una media de seguimiento de 3.5 años. Resultados: El 60% de los pacientes incluidos en nuestro estudio tenían una edad superior a 80 años, y la indicación más frecuente fue el bloqueo auriculoventricular completo (44.3%), seguido de la fibrilación auricular lenta o bloqueada (16.7%). El modo de estimulación más frecuente en la muestra general fue el DDD (38.6%) (VVI en pacientes octogenarios, 38.7%). En el seguimiento, la mortalidad a largo plazo fue mayor en dispositivos ventriculares, especialmente en octogenarios (p = 0.001). El modo de estimulación ventricular (VVI) fue predictor independiente de mortalidad. A largo plazo, no se observó mejoría del índice de Barthel ni del grado funcional tras el implante del marcapasos. Conclusiones: La morbimortalidad cardiovascular en pacientes octogenarios portadores de marcapasos resulta superior a la de la población general, especialmente en dispositivos monocamerales. La electroestimulación permanente no se asocia con mejoría del grado funcional a medio-largo plazo en estos pacientes.

Abstract Background: Nowadays, 49% of patients with pacemakers are older than 80 years old. Nevertheless, mortality and change in functional status after pacemaker implantation are not well documented in elderly patients. Objective: We designed a prospective study to analyze cardiovascular mortality and change in functional status of elderly patients, medium-long term after pacemaker implantation. Methods: Observational study including pacemaker implants in individual older than 70 years old in a single center university hospital between 2012 and 2014. Analysis testing for an association between pacemaker system, medium-long term mortality and functional status after implantation were undertaken. Results: 60% of patients were older than 80 years old. Third-degree atrio-ventricular block (44.3%) and slow ventricular response atrial fibrillation (16.7%) were the most frequent electrocardiogram abnormalities, while bicameral DDD was the sort of pacing our department used the most (38.6%) (VVI in octogenarian patients, 38.7%). Long-term mortality was significantly higher in ventricular devices, especially in octogenarian patients (p = 0.001 respectively). Single-chamber VVI pacing acted as independent predictors of all-cause mortality in these individuals (p = 0.001). We found no significant improvement in Barthel index and functional status in this subgroup of patients, 3 years after pacing. Conclusion: Long-term mortality in individuals older than 80 years old with pacemaker implantation, was significantly higher comparing with general population, especially in ventricular devices. No significant improvement in functional status was detected in this subgroup of patients.

Fluoroscopy-guided axillary vein access vs cephalic vein access in pacemaker and defibrillator implantation: Randomized clinical trial of efficacy and safety.

INTRODUCTION: The most widespread venous sites of access for implantation intravenous implantable cardiac electronic device (CIED) are the cephalic and subclavian vein. Fluoroscopy-guided axillary venous access is an alternative, but efficacy and safety have not been studied under equal conditions. The aim of the present study is to compare the efficacy and safety of fluoroscopy-guided axillary vs cephalic vein access in CIED implant. METHODS AND RESULTS: Two hundred and forty patients were randomized to receive CIED implantation by the fluoroscopy-guided axillary vein access vs cephalic vein access. The implantation success, the procedure times and the complications were recorded. A comparison of the results of operators was made. The success rate of the randomized venous access was superior in the axillary group than in cephalic (98.3% vs 76.7%, P < .001). Time to access (6.8 ± 3.1 minute vs 13.1 ± 5.8 minutes, P < .001) and implantation duration was significantly shorter in the axillary group than in the cephalic group (42.3 ± 11.6 minutes vs 50.5 ± 13.3 minutes, P < .001). There was no difference in the incidence of complication and inter-operator success rate, complications rate and time to access. CONCLUSION: The fluoroscopy-guided axillary venous access is safe and has a better success rate and faster execution time compared with the cephalic vein access. When the results were compared among the study operators, neither in the axillary nor in the cephalic group there were differences in the success rate, the complication rate, and the time to access. TRIAL REGISTRATION: www.clinicaltrials.gov, NCT03860090.

Hybrid Approach for the Treatment of Superior Vena Cava Syndrome Induced by Pacemaker.

Pacemaker-induced superior vena cava syndrome (SVCS) is a rare but incapacitating adverse event that can occur years after implantation. Inasmuch as it is a rare disease, there is no consensus about its treatment. The most widely used option is balloon angioplasty and venous stent implantation, with preservation of the lead or previous extraction and subsequent reimplantation after the procedure, which is associated with new episodes of thrombosis. The epicardial implantation reduces the risk of thrombosis. We report a case of pacemaker-induced SVCS for which we used a hybrid approach for epicardial lead implantation and electrode extraction, balloon angioplasty, and stent implantation.