Antibiotic prophylaxis in permanent pacemaker implantation.

Background—Infection remains a serious complication after permanent pacemaker implantation. Antibiotic prophylaxis is frequently prescribed at the time of insertion to reduce its incidence, although results of well-designed, controlled studies are lacking. Methods and Results—We performed a meta-analysis of all available randomized trials to evaluate the effectiveness of antibiotic prophylaxis to reduce infection rates after permanent pacemaker implantation. Reports of trials were identified through a Medline, Embase, Current