Subpectoral Technique of Pacemaker Implantation\\-Reduction of Cost and Length of Hospital Stay- / Journal of Rural Medicine

ABSTRACT

Objective: To reduce the length of hospital stay for patients undergoing pacemaker surgery. Patient and Methods: We prevented the leads from dislodging by anchoring a screw-in type pacing lead in the right atrium/ventricle through a cephalic vein that was cut down. We retrospectively compared the cost and duration of the hospital stay for the subpectoral technique (35 cases; January 2005-March 2006) and conventional technique (subcutaneous pocket and subclavian vein puncture) (18 cases; October 2003-December 2004) groups. Results: The mean (± SD) duration of hospital stay was 5.1 ± 2.1 days for the subpectoral technique group and 22.2 ± 15.2 days for the conventional technique group (P < 0.001), and the cost was 2,167,883 ± 147,549 yen in the subpectoral technique group and 2,528,053 ± 217,810 yen in the conventional technique group (P < 0.001). We noted no major complications such as bleeding, lead dislodgement, or wound infection. Conclusion: Our novel subpectoral technique helped reduce the length and cost of the hospital stay associated with pacemaker surgery.