Cardiovascular implantable electronic device infection
From IDWiki
Background
- Ranges from local pocket infection to bacteremia to endocarditis
Definitions
- Isolated pocket erosion: device or lead exposed through the skin, with or without signs of infection
- Isolated generator pocket infection: localized erythema, swelling, pain, tenderness, warmth, or drainage, with negative blood cultures
- Lead infection: lead vegetation with positive blood cultures
Microbiology
- Gram-positive bacteria (80%)1
- Staphylococcus species (75%)
- Staphylococcus aureus (30%), often with acute onset
- Coagulase-negative staphylococci (40%), most common cause of device pocket infections
- Others (5%): Enterococcus species, viridans group streptococci, Streptococcus pneumoniae
- Staphylococcus species (75%)
- Gram-negative bacteria (10%): Klebsiella pneumoniae, Serratia marcescens
- Polymicrobial (5%)
- Fungi (2%)
- Culture-negative (5%)
Epidemiology
- Occurs in about 2 per 1000 device-years
Risk Factors
- Patient-related: age, CKD, hemodialysis, diabetes mellitus, heart failure, COPD, preprocedure fever, malignancy, skin disorder, immunosuppression, prior CIED infection, anticoagulation
- Procedure-related: pocket intervention (including generator change, upgrade, or lead or pocket revision), pocket hematoma, longer procedure, inexperienced operator, ICD (compared to pacemaker), no prophylactic antibiotics
- Organism-related: highly virulent bacteria such as staphylococci
Clinical Manifestations
- Frequently infected at time of implantation, replacement, or surgical manipulation
- Often starts with generator pocket infection, then infection tracts back up the leads to intravascular and intracardiac parts
- Local signs of infection followed by fevers, chills, malaise, fatigue, or anorexia
- Can be early (within 6 months) or late (more than 6 months)
- Early is more likely to present with pocket infection
- Late more often has bacteremia and endocarditis
Investigations
- Blood cultures, ideally before antibiotics
- Transesophageal echocardiogram in most cases (in strong preference to transthoracic echocardiogram)
- Pacemaker pocket swab at time of removal
Management
- Management depends on blood culture findings
- If positive, get TEE
- If negative but high clinical suspicion, get TEE
- If bacteremia or prior antibiotics
- Valve vegetation ± bacteremia: remove CIED and treat as endocarditis
- Lead vegetation ± bacteremia: remove CIED and treat for 2 weeks, or 4 weeks for Staphylococcus aureus
- Negative TEE: consider CIED removal depending on microbiology and treat for 2 weeks
- If no bacteremia but TEE positive, treat as above
- If no bacteremia and no TEE or TEE negative
- Pocket site infection or erosion: remove CIED and treat for 2 weeks
- No pocket site infection: monitor
- CIED can be reimplanted when blood cultures are negative for at least 72 hours
Further Reading
- 2017 HRS expert consensus statement on cardiovascular implantable electronic device lead management and extraction. Heart Rhythm. 2017;14(12):e503-e551. doi: 10.1016/j.hrthm.2017.09.001
References
- ^ Muhammad R. Sohail, Daniel Z. Uslan, Akbar H. Khan, Paul A. Friedman, David L. Hayes, Walter R. Wilson, James M. Steckelberg, Sarah Stoner, Larry M. Baddour. Management and Outcome of Permanent Pacemaker and Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator Infections. Journal of the American College of Cardiology. 2007;49(18):1851-1859. doi:10.1016/j.jacc.2007.01.072.
