Contemporary management of cardiovascular implantable electronic device infections

Cardiovascular implantable electronic device (CIED) implantation rate has substantially risen in the foregoing decades. Unfortunately, this upsurge in CIED implantation rate has been accompanied by a disproportionate rise in the rate of CIED infections. Device infection is a major complication of CIED implantation, necessitating removal of an infected device followed by systemic antimicrobial therapy and reimplantation of a new system. In this article, we review the current epidemiology, risk factors, diagnostic strategy and contemporary management of CIED infection. In addition, we address the vexing question of how to best manage patients with Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia, in the setting of an implanted device, but no overt clinical signs of CIED infection. Lastly, we discuss the preventive strategies to minimize risk of CIED infection.