Presentation
Fever and shortness of breath
Patient Data
Age: 95 years
Gender: Female
From the case:
Pacemaker lead fracture
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Left chest wall dual-chamber pacemaker in situ; the atrial lead is broken ~1 cm from its attachment to the box.
Bilateral pleural effusions with adjacent compressive atelectasis, right more than left.
Green and red lines show two discontinued fragments of the broken lead.
Case Discussion
The incidence of lead fracture ranges from 0.1% to 4.2% per patient-year.
Risk factors for lead fracture are:
- female > male
- young age (<50 years)
- higher left ventricular ejection fraction
- undertaking intense physical activity
Case courtesy of Dr Carla Goncalves.