The Journal of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery
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J. Thorac. Cardiovasc. Surg. · Jul 2016
Incidence and characteristics of heart block after heart surgery in pediatric patients: A multicenter study.
Advanced second- or third-degree heart block has been reported with variable incidence after surgery for congenital heart disease in children. We report the incidence of heart block requiring a pacemaker and describe the risk factors for this complication in a large multicenter study. ⋯ The incidence of postoperative heart block requiring permanent pacemaker placement immediately after congenital heart surgery is low (1%). However, these patients have higher mortality even after adjusting for heart surgery complexity.