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Varicose Veins and Swelling After Pacemaker Placement

Allison Coy, MD
David M. Brown, MD

American Family Physician. 2026;113(1):83-84.

Author disclosure: No relevant financial relationships.

ALLISON COY, MD, and DAVID M. BROWN, MD, University of Kansas Family Medicine Residency, Kansas City

Address correspondence to Allison Coy, MD, at acoy@kumc.edu.

Author disclosure: No relevant financial relationships.

  1. 1.Zimetbaum P, Carroll BJ, Locke AH, et al. Lead-related venous obstruction in patients with implanted cardiac devices: JACC review topic of the week. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2022;79(3):299-308.
  2. 2.Ferro EG, Kramer DB, Li S, et al. Incidence, treatment, and outcomes of symptomatic device lead-related venous obstruction. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2023;81(24):2328-2340.
  3. 3.Abu-El-Haija B, Bhave PD, Campbell DN, et al. Venous stenosis after transvenous lead placement: a study of outcomes and risk factors in 212 consecutive patients. J Am Heart Assoc. 2015;4(8):e001878.
  4. 4.Khan O, Marmaro A, Cohen DA. A review of upper extremity deep vein thrombosis. Postgrad Med. 2021;133(suppl1):3-10.
  5. 5.Czihal M, Hoffmann U. Upper extremity deep venous thrombosis. Vasc Med. 2011;16(3):191-202.
  6. 6.Mandal S, Pande A, Mandal D, et al. Permanent pacemaker-related upper extremity deep vein thrombosis: a series of 20 cases. Pacing Clin Electrophysiol. 2012;35(10):1194-1198.
  7. 7.Executive Committee of the International Society of Lymphology. The diagnosis and treatment of peripheral lymphedema: 2023 consensus document of the International Society of Lymphology. Lymphology. 2023;56(4):133-151.
  8. 8.Azizi AH, Shafi I, Shah N, et al. Superior vena cava syndrome. JACC Cardiovasc Interv. 2020;13(24):2896-2910.
  9. 9.Riley RF, Petersen SE, Ferguson JD, et al. Managing superior vena cava syndrome as a complication of pacemaker implantation: a pooled analysis of clinical practice. Pacing Clin Electrophysiol. 2010;33(4):420-425.

The editors of AFP welcome submissions for Photo Quiz. Guidelines for preparing and submitting a Photo Quiz manuscript can be found in the Authors' Guide at https://www.aafp.org/afp/photoquizinfo. To be considered for publication, submissions must meet these guidelines. Email submissions to afpphoto@aafp.org.

This series is coordinated by John E. Delzell Jr., MD, MSPH, associate medical editor.

A collection of Photo Quiz published in AFP is available at https://www.aafp.org/afp/photoquiz.

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