EFFECT OF PACEMAKER POCKET TOILETING BY ANTIBIOTIC SOLUTION ON POCKET INFECTION RATE

Abstract

Objective: To find any correlation between local antibiotic therapy and pacemakerpocket infection rate.

Methodology: This case control study included patients over a period of five yearsfrom January 2011 to December 2016 presented to Department of Cardiology,Burdwan Medical College India. Common risk factors like patients with diabetes, repeatprocedure, chronic renal failure, chronic obstructive airway disease, immunosuppressive agents were selected equally in both groups. Different pacemakertype(single/dual chamber), male/female patients ratio were also properly selected.Pacemaker pockets were toileted by gentamic in solution in study group and nothingwas used in control group. For statistical analysis, MedCalc software for windows wasused to compare the incidence rate and obtain the associated P value . A p value of lessthan .05 was taken as significant.

Results: Study consisted of 2200 patients. There were 1096 patients in study group and1104 patients in control group. Pacemaker pocket infection occurred in 33 patients(1.5%). Seventeen patients in study group and sixteen patients in control group sufferedfrom pacemaker pocket infection. There were no statistical difference between studyand control group in relation to pacemaker pocket infection rate.

Conclusion: Our data suggest that pacemaker pocket toileting by antibiotic solution hasno role in preventing pacemaker pocket infection.