The extraction of leadless pacemakers can be considered as a safe and feasible procedure using the tools provided by the manufacturer and designed for the extraction. However, a very low threshold must be maintained to avoid any risk to the patients. Our extraction time ranges are between 983 and 1,070 days, nevertheless it is necessary to gather more long-term data to assess the feasibility and safety of these procedures.
Objective: Superior venous system stenosis (superior vena cava (SVC) -right subclavian vein -innominate vein -left subclavian vein) is a clinical situation that frequently appears in patients with long-term implanted cardiac stimulation devices, due to venous system thrombosis and in those with congenital heart disease who need corrective surgery, due to chronic complications inherent to surgical techniques. In clinical practice, venous system stenosis may manifest as a SVC syndrome. In many cases, we are not able to correct stenosis or obstructions, since it is impossible to cross them. In this article, we describe the surgical technique that we have implemented in our hospital to solve this challenge, especially in those patients with pacing/defibrillation devices who present with this pathology. Our objective was to perform an extraction of the pacemaker and defibrillation electrodes, to allow the passage of a support wire to achieve the implantation of the endovascular stent(s) to correct the SVC syndrome. Methods: We present a retrospective series of six consecutive patients with SVC syndrome studied in a single center from 2012 to 2021.Three of them presented with thrombosis related to pacing or defibrillation electrodes and the other three presented with complications derived from Mustard or Senning techniques in patients with pacemakers and D-transposition of the great arteries. Results: In all cases, a complete re-vascularization of the SVC system was achieved using a stent, and new leads could have been implanted through it. Combined treatment of lead extraction and endovascular stent implantation corrected the syndrome in all cases. Conclusions: Angioplasty and stenting of the central venous system is a standardized technique with validated results, in acute, for the recanalization of chronic occlusions secondary to transvenous devices.
Background
The percutaneous extraction of endovascular cardiostimulation and defibrillation leads is the most frequent technique nowadays. The tools used today must guarantee the success of the procedure, with the minimum of complications. Our objective was to analyze the safety and efficacy of lead extraction using the Evolution mechanical dissection tool (Cook Medical, USA).
Methods
A retrospective study was carried out in a total of 826 consecutive patients from October 2009 to December 2018 who underwent the procedure with the Evolution mechanical dissection tool. Preoperative study included complete blood tests, echocardiogram, and chest X‐ray. The procedures were performed in the operating room, under general anesthesia and echocardiographic control.
Results
A total of 1227 leads were extracted with a mean chronicity of 10.3 ± 5.1 years. Clinical success (CS) rate was 99.7%. A total of 16 (1.9%) complications occurred, 2 (0.24%) were major complications and 14 (1.7%) were minor complications. There was no operative mortality. There was no statistically significant relationship between implant chamber and complete efficacy. The complete extraction was achieved in all left ventricular leads, in 762 of 774 (98.45%) of right ventricular lead removal, and in 330 of 334 (98.8%) of right atrial leads (p = .31).
Conclusion
In our experience, percutaneous extraction of intravenous leads via the use of the Evolution tool (Cook Medical, USA), is a very effective and safe technique that offers low morbidity and mortality.
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