Chronic Swelling Over Cardiac Implantable Electronic Device Sites: A Multicenter Case Series

An atypical pacemaker pocket hematoma containing chyliform fluid

Subcutaneous hematoma is a complication of cardiac device implantation. In most cases, it is drained or spontaneously reabsorbed. While cases of chylothorax are rare, and cases of pseudochylothorax even rarer, previous cases of accumulation of chyliform material in the subcutaneous pockets of cardiac devices are anecdotal. We present a case of a 60-year-old man with antiphospholipids antibody syndrome and rheumatoid arthritis, who underwent dual-chamber ICD implantation in December 2020; the procedure was complicated by a pocket hematoma, which required surgical drainage. After 7 months, the man returned owing to heart failure, with evidence of the reappearance of a large swelling in the ICD pocket; this was tolerated for months by the patient and was no longer controlled. We drained 100ml of gold-colored, odorless liquid, and found no evidence of blood material in the pocket. The liquid was not pus, as culture testing proved negative for bacterial growth. Chemical-physical examination revealed elevated cholesterol concentration (704 mg/dl) and low levels of triglycerides (80 mg/dl; plasma cholesterol values were 91mg/dl, and triglycerides 48 mg/dl). Microscopic examination revealed isolated leukocytes and rare erythrocytes immersed in mucoid material; cytological analysis showed a carpet of macrophages filled with cholesterol. This evidence supports the diagnosis of pseudochyle fluid, formed by the degradation of a hematoma left intact in a closed cavity for more than 6 months. This is an extremely rare case of chyliform fluid documented in an ICD pocket.