Risk score to assess mortality risk in patients undergoing transvenous lead extraction.

Aims: The main aim of this study was to assess 1-year mortality and its predictors in a cohort of patients who underwent transvenous lead extraction (TLE) procedure.

Methods: Retrospective analysis of clinical characteristics and 1-year follow-up of patients referred for a TLE procedure in a single, high-volume center between June 2006 and October 2014 was performed.

Results: The studied population included 130 patients (82 males; mean age 64 ± 15 years) implanted with pacemakers (74%), implantable cardioverter defibrillators (15%), or cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillator (11%).

Parameters associated with one-year mortality and in-hospital adverse events in patients after emergency pacemaker implantation.

Background: Permanent cardiac pacing is the treatment of choice for severe and symptomatic bradycardia. Patients undergoing emergency pacemaker implantation are stabilised earlier by the insertion of a temporary emergency pacing lead, and they experience more comorbidities than with planned admissions.

Aim: To identify the parameters associated with one-year mortality and in-hospital adverse events after emergency permanent pacemaker implantation.

Difficult dual-stage transcutaneous multiple lead extraction with loss of external silicone tube of broken lead.

The extraction of three implanted (18-, 16-, and ten year-old) damaged nonfunctional leads was complicated by a lead breaking and losing its external silicone tube. The missing part of the lead was invisible on X-ray, but was visible in ECHO as a thin, corded, very mobile limp structure without metallic reflection. Incomplete lead extraction did not cease laboratory symptoms of infection.

Extraction of abandoned, potentially dangerous lead with uncovered proximal ending: a case report and method description.

In this study, we present the case of the extraction of a non-functioning, abandoned, chronically implanted nine year-old lead with proximal extended frayed ending, displaced spontaneously into the subclavian vein. The seemingly inaccessible lead was extracted from the body using the femoral approach. The lead was looped with a pig-tail catheter, standard guide-wire, and basket Dotter catheter, and the proximal ingrown ending was liberated.

Bifocal pacing in the right ventricle: an alternative to resynchronization when left ventricular access is not possible in end-stage heart failure patients.

Background: It has been reported that bifocal pacing (BiF) in the right ventricle might be an alternative to unsuccessful left ventricular lead implantation. This case report presents an assessment of the clinical and hemodynamic parameters during a three month follow-up in patients implanted with right ventricular BiF.

Methods: Eight patients who underwent unsuccessful left ventricular lead implantation were implanted with a bifocal system in the right ventricular.