Surgical extraction of permanent pacemaker leads is performed when noninvasive extraction is felt to be unsafe or has been unsuccessfully attempted. Surgical extraction in patients with previous cardiac surgery presents a particular challenge as resternotomy is hazardous and the presence of surgical adhesions makes video-assisted approaches difficult. We report 2 cases of successful deployment of a surgical technique using femorofemoral cardiopulmonary bypass and right anterior thoracotomy for removal of pacemaker leads.
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