Patients with cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIED) undergoing radiotherapy
(RT) becoming more common due to ageing of the population. With newer CIEDs implementing
the complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technology which allows the miniaturisation
of CIED, it is also more susceptible to RT. Effects of RT on CIED ranges from device
interference, device operational/memory errors to permanent damage. These malfunctions
can cause life threatening clinical effects. Cumulative dose is not the only component
of RT that causes CIED malfunction, as neutron use and dose rate effect also affects
CIEDs. The management of this patient cohort in clinical practice is inconsistent
due to lack of a consistent guideline from manufacturers and physician specialty societies.
Our review will focus on the current clinical practice and the recent updated guidelines
of managing patients with CIED undergoing RT. We aim to simplify the evidence and
provide a simple and easy to use guide based on the recent guidelines.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: November 26, 2021
Accepted:
October 25,
2021
Received in revised form:
October 5,
2021
Received:
May 28,
2021
Identification
Copyright
© 2021 Australian and New Zealand Society of Cardiac and Thoracic Surgeons (ANZSCTS) and the Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand (CSANZ). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
