Extraction of superfluous device leads: A comparison with removal of infected leads.

Background: Although increasingly more lead extraction was performed for superfluous leads, the extraction of such leads remains controversial.

Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the outcomes and complications of transvenous extraction of superfluous leads in a single center in the era of laser technology.

Methods: Four hundred eighty transvenous lead extraction procedures performed from January 2001 through October 2012 at Mayo Clinic (Rochester, Minnesota) were retrospectively reviewed.