A 15-Year Experience With Permanent Pacemaker and Defibrillator Lead and Patch Extractions

Pacemaker and ICD infections generally respond to antibiotics, complete hardware removal, and a hardware free interval. However, these principles cannot always be invoked, and the risk of complications is likely to increase when hardware cannot be completely removed or when a hardware-free interval is unsafe or inadvisable. Percutaneous lead extraction is superior to open extraction in terms of safety and comfort, but epicardial extraction techniques remain critically important in selected patients.