Post operative temporary epicardial pacing: When, how and why?

Temporary epicardial pacing is commonly used for the diagnosis and treatment of arrhythmias in the acute post operative period after surgery for congenital heart disease. Temporary epicardial pacemakers have become increasingly sophisticated over the years and have evolved from simple single chamber devices with few programmable parameters to complex dual chamber devices capable of adjustable parameters similar to permanent pacemakers. This review will describe the various indications for temporary pacing, technical considerations for both the choice of pacing wires and pacemaker modes, complications with temporary pacing and our current practice with temporary pacing.