Apical versus Non-Apical Lead: Is ICD Lead Position Important for Successful Defibrillation?

Introduction: We aim to compare the acute and long-term success of defibrillation between non-apical and apical ICD lead position.

Methods And Results: The position of the ventricular lead was recorded by the implanting physician for 2,475 of 2,500 subjects in the Shockless IMPLant Evaluation (SIMPLE) trial, and subjects were grouped accordingly as non-apical or apical. The success of intra-operative defibrillation testing and of subsequent clinical shocks were compared.