RT-101
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Infectious complications of ICD
implantations: prevention and treatment
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Francesco Siclari, Thorsten
Schmidt.
Department of Cardiac Surgery, Städtische Kliniken, Oldenburg, Germany
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Introduction
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The implantation of a cardioverter defibrillator (ICD)
is the most effective therapy for patients with life-threatening ventricular
tachyarrhythmias. In the last five years the reliability of transvenous electrodes and the
reduction of the generator size along with the growing indication for implantation have
contributed to its diffusion as an accepted form of therapy1.
The growing experience with ICD implantations with transvenous electrodes shows a rather
low perioperative mortality and morbidity.
Since the surgical technique has become less invasive, some implants are now being
performed by non-surgeons in electrophysiology laboratories rather than in operating rooms2 and in some centers even in local anesthesia.
Even if the incidence of infection is considered to be low, there are still a fair
amount of reports in the literature dealing with this complication implying that a
breakthrough in the prevention of infection has not yet been achieved.
The aim of this paper is to review the literature on infectious complications with ICD
implantation as per 1997 and to try to set up guidelines for prevention and therapy.
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