Pacemaker and defibrillator Twiddler's syndrome

Space invader: pleural penetration of a hypoglossal nerve stimulator sensor lead

The mainstay of treatment for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is positive airway pressure (PAP). PAP therapy may be difficult to tolerate for some patients which may compromise adherence, requiring alternative therapies. Hypoglossal nerve stimulation (HGNS) has become an option for those who meet implantation criteria. Implantation of the device is an ambulatory surgical procedure and is generally well-tolerated, though rare adverse events have been reported. We report an unusual complication of HGNS in a patient who had initial success with this therapy. After three years of treatment, the sensor lead penetrated into the pleural space. Components of the HGNS were explanted, and a new sensor lead and generator were reimplanted. The new device was activated, and therapy was successfully resumed. This case demonstrates that there is a potential for a delayed complication of sensor lead penetration into the pleural space which has only rarely been reported.

Extreme pacemaker reel syndrome in an elderly patient with cognitive impairment

Twiddler's syndrome is a rare cause of pacemaker failure, where patient manipulation of the pulse generator results in lead dislodgement or retraction. Variations in manifestation have been identified including reel syndrome, where rotation occurs around the transverse axis resulting in coiling of the leads, and ratchet syndrome where arm movement results in lead displacement. Device manipulation leading to device failure has been documented in up to 1.7% of implants, particularly in patients with large pockets or mental disorders. Such complications have serious consequences, particularly in pacing-dependent patients where loss of capture may result in asystole. This article reviews the case of an 84-year-old patient presenting at 8-month pacemaker follow-up in complete heart block with no evidence of pacemaker function.

Twiddler's Syndrome: A Rare Hardware Complication in Spinal Cord Stimulation

Twiddler's syndrome is an uncommon hardware complication involving the lead and pulse generators in cardiac pacemakers and defibrillators, deep brain stimulators, and vagal nerve stimulators. However, until very recently, it had not been reported in spinal cord stimulation (SCS). Considering the incidence of hardware complications of spinal cord stimulation, there may be an underreporting of Twiddler's syndrome due to lack of awareness. Two cases of Twiddler's syndrome as a hardware complication of SCS were identified between 2005 and 2015. One patient with hardware failure due to Twiddler's syndrome refused to have a revision surgery. The other patient who had a lead migration associated with coiling of the lead and twisting of pulse generator needed a revision surgery. Twiddler's syndrome in patients treated with SCS is an uncommon but important adverse event. Awareness of characteristic presentation and radiologic finding is essential in the identification of Twiddler's syndrome in SCS.

"Twiddler syndrome" in two patients with deep brain stimulation

Twiddler syndrome occurs when a patient intentionally or unintentionally manipulates an implantable generator (usually a pacemaker) and dislodges the pacing leads, causing malfunction of the device. Though the syndrome has been described in patients with pacemakers, to our knowledge only one spontaneous case has been described in patients undergoing deep brain stimulation for movement disorders. We report the clinical cases of two patients with Parkinson's disease who had subthalamic bilateral electrodes implanted and presented the twiddler syndrome 2 and 3 years after surgery. We analysed the possible mechanisms of this syndrome and note that twiddler syndrome should be suspected in patients undergoing deep brain stimulation and showing hardware dysfunction.

Twiddler syndrome as a rare cause of implantable cardioverter defibrillator malfunction

Twiddler syndrome that causes device malfunction is a rare complication in patients with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator. In this case report, we present a patient who was referred to our hospital with palpitation and abdominal pulsation 7 months after implantable cardioverter defibrillator implantation.