Patient Selection and Data Collection
This is a retrospective cohort study evaluating all patients who underwent temporary pacemaker placement between 2014 and 2022 (N=126) in the cardiac catheterization laboratory (CCL) at the Hennepin Healthcare (Hennepin County Medical Center; Minneapolis, MN) by either interventional cardiologists or cardiac electrophysiologists. Hennepin Healthcare is a level 1 trauma center and a safety net hospital for the state of Minnesota. This retrospective cohort study was conducted in accordance with the recommendations of the Hennepin Healthcare Institutional Review Board.
Pacemakers placed outside the CCL were not included in our study due to limited procedure-related information, procedural variation and missing data. Patients with temporary pacing from epicardial leads were not included as this constitutes a unique and prophylactic modality that is only applicable to post cardiac surgery patients.
We used the Medtronic model 5076 CapSureFix active fixation lead (Medtronic, Minneapolis, MN, USA) in the TPPM group, and the Pacel Flow Directed Pacing Catheter (Right Heart Curve; Abbott Cardiovascular, Plymouth, MN) in the BTTP group. All patients had a complete procedure note in their electronic health record. Baseline characteristics, procedure related data, and post procedure outcomes and complications were obtained from a thorough chart review. Temporary pacemaker indications were summarized into three major categories: i) Atrioventricular (AV) node dysfunction (including Mobitz II second degree AV block and complete heart block), ii) Sinus node dysfunction, iii) Prevent recurrent ventricular tachycardia/fibrillation and Torsades de pointes in patients with long QT interval.