Is the retrieval of leadless cardiac pacemakers feasible and safe in patients who require device removal?
Retrieval of chronically implanted single-chamber active fixation leadless pacemakers is highly feasible and safe, with a 94% overall success rate and no 30-day procedure-related adverse events.
BACKGROUND: Leadless cardiac pacemakers have emerged as a safe and effective alternative to conventional transvenous single-chamber ventricular pacemakers. Herein, we report a multicenter experience on the feasibility and safety of acute retrieval (6 weeks) of the leadless cardiac pacemaker in humans. METHODS AND RESULTS: This study included patients enrolled in 3 multicenter trials, who received a leadless cardiac pacemaker implant and who subsequently underwent a device removal attempt. The overall leadless pacemaker retrieval success rate was 94%: for patients whose leadless cardiac pacemaker had been implanted for 6 months before the retrieval attempt. There were no procedure-related adverse events at 30 days post retrieval procedure. CONCLUSIONS: This multicenter experience demonstrated the feasibility and safety of retrieving a chronically implanted single-chamber (right ventricle) active fixation leadless pacemaker. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifiers: NCT02051972, NCT02030418, and NCT01700244.
Reddy et al. (Thu,) studied this question.
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