Acute Onset of Heart Failure and Renal Failure Due to Pacemaker Syndrome

Here, we report the outcome of an 87-year-old man with permanent non-valvular atrial fibrillation who initially presented with complete heart block and received a single right ventricle lead pacemaker programmed to ventricular demand pacing (VVIR). Over the next 10 months, the patient was readmitted to the hospital four times with recurrent edema, pleural effusions, and ascites. He was diagnosed with new onset systolic heart failure with mid-range (40-49%) ejection fraction and cardiorenal syndrome requiring dialysis. The underlying cause of his presentation was determined to be pacemaker syndrome mediated by new onset severe tricuspid regurgitation. He was treated with reimplantation of a pacemaker with His bundle pacing with subsequent improvement in his cardiac status and renal function. Implantation of dual-chamber pacing (DDDR) or His bundle pacing to achieve a narrow QRS complex over ventricular demand pacemaker is recommended whenever possible to reduce the incidence of pacemaker syndrome and improve patient outcomes.