UC San Diego Cardiology Team Performs 100th Extraction Procedure with 100 Percent Success Rate

Описание: A multidisciplinary team from the Sulpizio Cardiovascular Center at University of California San Diego Health System has performed its 100th lead (pronounced 'leed') extraction surgery, a delicate procedure to replace the thin wiring of lifesaving heart devices such as pacemakers or implantable defibrillators (ICDs). The collaborative program, pioneered at UC San Diego Health System, has a 100 percent success rate.

Pacemakers and implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) deliver energy to the heart through thin, flexible wires or "leads." When these leads are not working properly -- due to infection, damage, or scar tissue -- the wires need to be removed and replaced. In particular, old leads can shift over extended periods of time and become improperly attached to the heart and blood vessel walls, and in need of repair. Each year, about 700,000 new heart devices are implanted into patients worldwide, involving about 1.4 million lead wires.

When needed, the leads can be removed using a minimally invasive procedure called "lead extraction." The leads are accessed through a small incision at the site of the device, just above the heart. The surgeon slides a tube or sheath with a long wire inside the vein and over the lead that needs to be removed. This forms a stable platform for removal. Using X-ray guidance, the surgeon then applies laser energy to dissolve the scar tissue around the lead. This allows the lead to be freed from the blood vessel wall and eventually from its attachment inside the heart. Once the old lead has been removed it can be replaced with a new one.

The 100th patient, JenyLyn Carpio, was 22 years old when she experienced a total heart blockage and was diagnosed with a genetic heart disorder that makes her prone to sudden death events.

Learn more about the Cardiovascular Institute at UC San Diego:
https://health.ucsd.edu/specialties/c...