Interactive cardiovascular and thoracic surgery
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Interact Cardiovasc Thorac Surg · Jan 2020
Five-year follow-up of transvenous and epicardial left ventricular leads: experience with more than 1000 leads.
Transvenous coronary sinus leads are considered to be the gold standard for cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT). However, in patients with abnormal coronary vein anatomy, the epicardial leads can be an alternative. Data comparing durability and performance of these 2 lead types are limited. In order to provide clarity, we investigated patients receiving CRT system in our centre. ⋯ Our data demonstrate safety and functional efficacy of both transvenous and epicardial leads. Moreover, in long-term follow-up, a commendable durability and performance were found for both lead types. Thus, epicardial leads represent a good alternative when transvenous implantation fails.