The Annals of Thoracic Surgery, Vol 35, 535-537, Copyright © 1983 by The Society of Thoracic Surgeons
Epicardial corkscrew lead fracture: an underreported cause of pacing failure?
WH Fleming, LB Sarafian, JW Yarbrough, JD Kugler and PK Mooring
Three children with a pacemaker sustained similar lead fractures within a
two-year period. Each fracture occurred in the corkscrew portion of a
Medtronic Model 6917 epicardial lead. All patients were boys. The leads had
been in place for 12, 45, and 43 months prior to fracture. None of the
patients had sustained major trauma. Fracture of the corkscrew lead has
been considered an uncommon complication. However, three lead fractures in
the corkscrew area in a population of 60 children followed at this
institution indicate that this may be a more common cause of
pacemaker-system malfunction than previous data suggest. A plea is made for
reporting all pacing failure to the manufacturer.