Pacemakers, Defibrillators Sources of Deadly Infections, Duke University Hospital Study
Life-saving implantable pacemakers or defibrillators pose a risk for developing deadly infections, a new study suggests. More than 4.2 million people in the United States had a permanent pacemaker or defibrillator implanted between 1993 and 2008, and heart-device infections increased 210 percent during that time, according to the study.