Permanent pacemakers: should straightened atrial leads be repositioned?

The aim of this study was to assess if atrial leads whose "J" configuration has straightened significantly on the postprocedural chest X ray should be repositioned. Between January 1996 and December 1997, 445 patients underwent dual chamber pacemaker implantation at the Papworth Hospital. Postprocedural chest X rays were available in 410 of these.