Trends in replacement of pacemaker leads in the Netherlands: A long-term nationwide follow-up study.

Background: Our objective was to investigate trends over time in longevity and reasons for replacement with or without extraction of pacemaker leads after first implantation.

Methods: Data collected between 1984 and 2006 in the national Dutch pacemaker registry were used. This registry covered 84% of sold leads.

Trends in service time of pacemakers in the Netherlands: a long-term nationwide follow-up study.

Aims: After decades of experience and strongly improved technology, service time of pacemaker generators is expected to increase. To test this hypothesis, we conducted a retrospective review of a large cohort of patients with a pacemaker.

Methods: We reviewed data collected between 1984 and 2006 in the first national Dutch pacemaker registry.

Utilisation of cardiac pacemakers over a 20-year period: Results from a nationwide pacemaker registry.

The implantation of cardiac pacemakers has become a well-established therapy for conduction disorders and sinus node dysfunction. In many countries pacemaker registries have been initiated in order to collect information on patient characteristics, trends in numbers and the types of pacemakers used, to identify problematic devices, and for safety monitoring. For this utilisation study the Central Pacemaker Patients Registration (CPPR) from the Netherlands Pacemaker Registry Foundation (CPPR-SPRN) containing data collected for more than 20 years was used.

Pacemaker follow-up: are the latest guidelines in line with modern pacemaker practice?

Aims: Guidelines regarding pacemaker (PM) follow-up (FU) are not precisely defined. The study aim is to describe long-term routine in-hospital FU, evaluate compliance to guidelines, and assess the portion of visits-with-an-action (VWA).

Methods And Results: The multicentre prospective FOLLOWPACE study collected data in the period 2003-2010, regarding FU of 1517 patients with a first PM for bradycardia indications in 23 Dutch hospitals.

Impact of data collected on implanted devices and device recipients.

After the implantation of the first pacemakers in the Netherlands, controlling the quality of the implantation procedure and the device became an important issue for cardiologists, technicians and manufacturers. Over the years, the cooperation between the different workers in this field led to the development of new devices and novel features in the pacemakers, ensuring improvement in the quality of life of the pacemaker patient. This article gives an impression of how registration in national and local novel systems contributed to this development.