[Reasons for pacing leads abandonment during pacemaker replacement: a single center experience with 235 cases].
OBJECTIVE
To analyse the reasons for pacing lead abandonment during pacemaker replacement.


METHODS
Clinical data of patients underwent permanent pacemaker replacement between Jan 1st, 1976 to Dec 31st 2006 in Fuwai Hospital were obtained and the reasons for pacing leads abandonment were analyzed.


RESULTS
Pacemaker was replaced in 1023 patients during this period and 235 pacing leads were abandoned, 131 leads (55.7%) were abandoned for leads malfunction, including leads body fracture (35, 14.9%), isolation defects (10, 4.3%), dislocations (10, 4.3%) and excessively high threshold values (76, 32.3%). Other reasons for leads abandonment were infection (50, 21.3%), incompatibility between the leads and new generator (30, 12.8%), need to degrade the pacing system (13, 5.5%) and other rare reasons (11, 4.7%).


CONCLUSIONS
The most often reason for leads abandonment during pacemaker replacement is lead malfunction, including lead body fracture, isolation defect, dislocation and excessively high threshold value of the leads.
Zhang
Jing-tao
JT
Cardiac Arrhythmia Center, Cardiovascular Institute and Fuwai Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100037, China.
Chen
Ke-ping
KP
Hua
Wei
W
Pu
Jie-lin
JL
Wang
Fang-zheng
FZ
Zhang
Shu
S
D006328:Cardiac Catheterization / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D002304:Cardiac Pacing, Artificial / Q000379:methods*; D004868:Equipment Failure; D004869:Equipment Safety; D005260:Female; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010138:Pacemaker, Artificial