To explant, or not to explant, that is the question

Abstract

Recurrent surgery in device patients carries a certain risk of infection and should therefore be kept to a minimum. We present the case of a patient in whom a new pacemaker had to be implanted from the left side and the question was, what should be done with the redundant pacemaker on the right side: to explant or not to explant? The answer depends upon the behaviour of the pacemaker at the time of elective replacement indication (ERI) and of end of life (EOL), and dif fers between the five manufacturers operating in Switzerland. This behaviour is explained in detail and thus can guide cardiologists towards individ ual decision making.