Permanent Pacemaker Implantation Early After Cardiac Surgery: A Descriptive Study of Pacemaker Utility After One Year of Follow-Up.

Background: Complete heart block (CHB) is a common complication of cardiac surgery, which may resolve spontaneously. The optimal number of days to wait for resolution of CHB prior to proceeding with a permanent pacemaker (PPM) and the long-term utility of PPMs placed in this setting remain uncertain.

Methods And Results: This was a retrospective cohort study, which included members of Kaiser Permanente Northern California who had cardiac surgery, a PPM placed within 30 days after surgery, and one year of follow-up time.