Sustained bacteremia and transvenous cardiac pacemakers
L. C. Corman and M. E. Levison
Five patients with transvenous cardiac pacemakers had sustained
staphylococcal bacteremia (defined as bacteremia for at least 12 hours) two
weeks to ten months after pacemaker insertion. Three of the five patients
had no evidence of an extravascular focus of infection at the time of
stphylococcal bacteremia. An additional patient had a petechial rash,
which is unusual in staphylococcal bacteremia, unless endocarditis is
present. All patients were treated with antibiotics and drainage of the
pacemaker packet when it was infected, removal of the pacemaker generator,
or removal of the catheter electrode. One patient without evidence of
pocket infection was treated successfully with antibiotic therapy alone.
