Colonic injury from temporary epicardial pacing wires.

A 72-year-old man who had undergone a three-vessel coronary artery bypass grafting, aortic valve replacement, and tricuspid valve repair became comatose 1 week after the procedure. Signs of intraabdominal sepsis developed 6 days later, leading to laparotomy on his 12th postoperative day. The Intraoperative finding was a perforating injury to the transverse colon caused by the ventricular temporary pacing wires. A defunctioning double-barreled transverse colostomy was performed, after which the patient started to recover. He was discharged home 2 weeks later.