Cardiac implanted electronic devices (resynchronizers, defibrillators and pacemakers) infections : role of sonication for microbiological diagnosis

• Grant number: 13/00203-9
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Duration: May 01, 2013 - April 30, 2015
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Medicine - Medical Clinics
• Principal Investigator: Mauro José Costa Salles
• Grantee: Mauro José Costa Salles
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Médicas da Santa Casa de São Paulo (FCMSCSP). Fundação Arnaldo Vieira de Carvalho. São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Luiz Antonio Rivetti

Abstract

Use of Cardiac Implantable Electronic Devices (pacemakers, defibrillators and resynchronizers) - DECI - are increasingly common in Brazil and around the world to treat blockages driving, failure or cardiac arrhythmias. Infections are rare but serious and potentially fatal, and its diagnosis is usually made by removal of the implant material after the clinical characteristics as systemic signs of fever and malaise, and local signs such as warmth, erythema and pain at the site of implantation of DECI, plus signs suggestive of infective endocarditis. Sonication is a technique based on the generation of ultrasound waves, which disrupt the bacterial biofilm, thus allowing the culture of these bacteria, improving the etiologic diagnosis of infections DECI. Recently this technique has been approved for etiologic diagnosis of infection of prosthetic orthopedic knee and hip and in studies of cardiac implants was also more effective than the standard procedure (swab of implants and tissue culture), but there are still difficulties in patients without signs of graft infection and distinguish between colonization or subclinical infection. This study aims to compare the standard technique for the etiologic diagnosis (swab of implants and tissue culture) and sonication technique. (AU)