Long-term follow-up of permanent transvenous pacing systems preserved during tricuspid valve replacement.

Abstract

Patients undergoing tricuspid valve replacement who already have a transvenous pacemaker system in the right ventricle are often recommended to have the ventricular lead removed and an epicardial system implanted. However, as a rule, the reliability of endocardial transvenous pacemaker leads has been superior to epicardial systems. Therefore, if the pacemaker lead in the ventricle is still performing well, it may be preferable to leave it in place. In this communication, we present the long-term follow-up results leaving the pacer lead in place by securing it in a position outside the prosthetic valve without interfering with the function of the prosthetic valve.