Inadvertent lead malpositioning into the left ventricle (LV) is an uncommon complication of pacemaker lead implantation. It can have implications on clinical outcome due to ventricular dyssynchrony, and result in further complications such as thrombus formation with subsequent embolisation. This case study reports the clinical, electrocardiographic, plain film and echocardiographic findings of an 82-year-old male in whom the intravenous lead of a dual chamber pacemaker was unintentionally passed into the LV via an atrial septal defect. Inadvertent placement was discovered incidentally following the onset of atrial fibrillation (AF) 17 years later.
Keywords: arrhythmias; cardiovascular medicine; heart failure; pacing and electrophysiology.
© BMJ Publishing Group Limited 2021. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.