Volume 8, Issue 4 257641 pp. 283-285
Open Access

Right Atrial Perforation Secondary to Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator Insertion

Nam T Tran

Nam T Tran

Division of Thoracic Surgery University of Washington Medical Center Seattle, Washington, USA , uwmedicine.org

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Adam Zivin

Adam Zivin

Division of Cardiology University of Washington Medical Center Seattle, Washington, USA , uwmedicine.org

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Darius Mozaffarian

Darius Mozaffarian

Division of Cardiology University of Washington Medical Center Seattle, Washington, USA , uwmedicine.org

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Riyad Karmy-Jones

Corresponding Author

Riyad Karmy-Jones

Division of Thoracic Surgery University of Washington Medical Center Seattle, Washington, USA , uwmedicine.org

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First published: 03 August 2001
Citations: 8

Abstract

Implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) placements can be associated with serious complications. This paper reports a patient in whom percutaneous placement of an ICD resulted in a hemopneumothorax. This was due to an active fixation lead that perforated the right atrial wall and injured the adjacent lung parenchyma. The hemothorax was drained thoracoscopically, and the atrial injury was covered with fibrin glue.

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