[Permanent pacemakers in children. The indications, complications and long-term follow-up].

Definitive pacemakers were placed in 27 children from June 1970 to October 1988. The indication for the pacemakers was congenital auriculoventricular block in 12 patients who were symptomatic; 8 were children with postoperative auriculoventricular block; 4 had developed complete auriculoventricular block from myocardiopathies and 3 from idiopathic sick-sinus syndrome. Two patients died: one 4 months after placement of the pacemaker due to unrelated causes, and the other 14 years later due to fracture of the electrode. There were 23 who were reoperated for different reasons but the most frequent was battery failure in 8 patients and pacemaker malfunction in 4 patients. The electrode was implanted in the epicardium in 21 patients and via subclavian vein into the endocardium in 6 cases. The growth and development physically and mentally were normal during the follow-up of these children. The average follow-up period was 55.6 months.