Strangulation of the heart presenting as sudden cardiac death: A deadly but forgotten complication of epicardial pacing device

Strangulation of the heart is a life-threatening yet rarely reported mechanical phenomenon that may occur with epicardial pacing wires in individuals undergoing somatic growth. Cardiac strangulation (CS) develops when epicardial pacemaker wires dislodge and adhere to the outer surface of the heart [1]. Over the passage of time, owing to a size mismatch between the fixed wire length and the dynamically growing heart, an epicardial wire may embed around the heart and progressively compress involved cardiac structures.
Source: Legal Medicine - Category: Forensic Medicine Authors: Tags: Case Report Source Type: research