Over 1.6 million pacing or cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) devices are implanted worldwide annually and up to 1/3 of this cohort have an indication for long-term anticoagulation therapy. Current guidelines suggest discontinuing the oral anticoagulant and initiating bridging therapy with heparin but this strategy is associated with increased costs, a short but high risk period of […]
Tag: pacemaker
Infective endocarditis caused by cardiac devices
The number of electronic cardiac devices, including pacemakers and cardioverter-defibrillators, being implanted each year is increasing. As a result, there has been a 210% increase in the incidence of device infection between 1993 and 2008 in the United States. Cardiac device infective endocarditis (CDIE) is significant in that it is associated with a higher mortality […]