Disturbances in cardiac rhythm caused by the removal of temporary pacemaker wires.

The effects of temporary pacemaker wire removal on cardiac rhythm were studied in 22 open-heart surgery patients who had temporary pacemaker wires implanted at the time of chest wall closure. During wire removal, 16 patients developed premature ventricular contractions (PVCs), most commonly occurring as single PVCs, and less often as ventricular couplets. The authors recommend that external pacemaker wire removal be accompanied by electrocardiographic monitoring or at least by a short period of careful clinical observation.