Prevention of infections in cardiovascular implantable electronic devices beyond the antibiotic agent.

The increase in incidence/prevalence of infections of implantable pacemakers and defibrillators (implantable cardioverter defibrillator, ICD) is outweighing that of the implanting procedures, mainly favored by the changes in patient profile. Despite the high impact on patient's outcome and related costs for healthcare systems, we lack specific evidence on the preventive measures with the exception of antibiotic prophylaxis. The aim of this study is to focus on common approaches to pacemaker/ICD implantation to identify the practical preventive strategies and choices that can (potentially) impact on the occurrence of this feared complication.

Implications of cardiac resynchronization therapy and prophylactic defibrillator implantation among patients eligible for heart transplantation.

This study analyzed the relations and time-related changes in eligibility for cardiac resynchronization therapy and prophylactic defibrillator implantation in 161 potential candidates for heart transplantation. Although up to 62% of patients who fulfilled the severity criteria for heart transplantation were eligible for either device, this percentage increased as clinical/instrumental parameters of heart failure severity worsened.