The long-term follow-up of pacemaker implantation in children

In our hospital of Keio University Hospital, we experienced 346 cases of pacemaker implantation including 24 cases in infants and small children for the last twenty years. In the infant case, we must take care of where to implant a generator and which technique of lead placement because of the patient's small body, and the follow-up with the patient's growth. We examined several complications in an infant case, by comparing the long term results between infants and adults. We found the high incidence of the complications including five cases of wound infection and 4 cases of pacing failure due to exit block in children. The reason is that an epicardial lead is used and a generator is placed in the abdominal wall, we should use the technique for transvenous pacemaker implantation in infants and small children if possible.