A Permanent Epicardial Pacemaker Lead That Penetrated the Esophageal Wall 26 years After Implantation.

We treated a patient in whom a permanent epicardial pacemaker lead penetrated the esophageal wall 26 years after the index pacemaker implantation. A 28-year-old man with loss of appetite and weight loss underwent upper gastrointestinal endoscopy and was found to have a foreign body protruding into the esophagus. Computed tomography revealed an epicardial lead penetrating the esophageal wall. He had undergone pacemaker implantation with permanent epicardial leads when he was 2 years old. The lead was surgically removed. (C) 2016 by The Society of Thoracic Surgeons.