Editorial: Valve Virtuosi and Pacer Placers — Reducing the Need for Permanent Pacemaker Implantation After Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement

Abstract

Cardiologists often stumble when deciding whether to implant permanent pacemakers in patients who have undergone transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). No one particularly wants to implant a permanent pacemaker after TAVR, given the potential detrimental effects on left ventricular function and added resource use as well as observations that AV conduction is frequently found to have recovered in the months after implant.1 However, the consequences of overlooking a potentially lethal episode of complete heart block are devastating, particularly after an otherwise successful procedure.