Thermal burn resulting from prolonged transcutaneous pacing in a patient with complete heart block.

Temporary transcutaneous pacing devices are used to treat symptomatic bradyarrhythmias that are unresponsive to medical therapy until it resolves or a more stable pacing device is established. Pain is the most common complication. Skin burns as a complication are uncommon. A female patient presented with a complete atrioventricular block that caused altered mental status and required orotracheal intubation. A temporary transcutaneous pacing device was used to treat the bradyarrhythmia and maintained for 12 h until a temporary transvenous pacemaker was placed. The patient developed a third degree skin burn in the area where the anterior pacing patch was placed. Bradycardia is a common complaint in the emergency department. Temporary transcutaneous cardiac pacing is a widely available treatment modality that serves as initial management for these cases and allows us to keep patients stable until a more stable pacing solution is available. Burns as a complication of transcutaneous pacing are uncommon.