The prognostic value of transesophageal echocardiography after transvenous lead extraction: landscape after battle

Dorota Nowosielecka; Wojciech Jacheć; Anna Polewczyk; Andrzej Kleinrok; Łukasz Tułecki; Andrzej Kutarski

doi:10.21037/cdt-20-871

The prognostic value of transesophageal echocardiography after transvenous lead extraction: landscape after battle

Cardiovasc Diagn Ther. 2021 Apr;11(2):394-410. doi: 10.21037/cdt-20-871.

Authors

Dorota Nowosielecka¹, Wojciech Jacheć², Anna Polewczyk^{3

4}, Andrzej Kleinrok^{1

5}, Łukasz Tułecki⁶, Andrzej Kutarski⁷

Affiliations

¹ Department of Cardiology, The Pope John Paul II Province Hospital of Zamość Poland.
² 2nd Department of Cardiology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Medical University of Silesia, Zabrze, Poland.
³ Collegium Medicum, The Jan Kochanowski University, Kielce, Poland.
⁴ Department of Cardiac Surgery, Świętokrzyskie Cardiology Center, Kielce, Poland.
⁵ Medical College, Department of Physiotherapy, University of Information Technology and Management, Rzeszów, Poland.
⁶ Department of Cardiac Surgery, The Pope John Paul II Province Hospital of Zamość Poland.
⁷ Department of Cardiology, Medical University, Lublin, Poland.

Abstract

Background: In patients undergoing transvenous lead extraction (TLE) transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) provide valuable information after procedure.

Methods: We analyzed data from 936 TEE performed in patients undergoing TLE between 2015 and 2019 (mean follow-up 566.23±224.47 days) and assessed the role of echocardiographic phenomena after procedure.

Results: Increment in tricuspid regurgitation (TR) was observed in 9% of patients after TLE. Factors increasing the risk of TR were: binding sites between lead and right ventricle (RV) (OR: 5.429), tricuspid valve (TV) (OR: 3.42), superior vena cava (SVC) (OR: 3.30) and lead-to-lead adhesions (OR: 2.88). Predisposing factors of residual structures after TLE were: asymptomatic masses on the leads (AMEL) (OR: 1.68), binding sites between SVC and cardiac structures (OR: 1.72), and multiple leads (OR: 1.30). Probability of vegetation remnants increased in the presence of abandoned leads (OR: 7.91). The risk factors of tamponade were: dwell time of the oldest lead (OR: 1.17), lead-to-lead adhesion (OR: 22.47), binding sites between lead and TV (OR: 6.08), RA (OR: 11.50), SVC (OR: 4.47), higher LVEF (OR: 2.35; P=0.006), female gender (OR: 5.43), multiple leads (OR: 2.11), looped leads (OR: 4.90) and AMEL (OR: 6.42). The risk of lead fracture was increased by: lead-to-lead adhesion (OR: 5.69), fibrosis binding the lead to RV (OR: 5.16), RA (OR: 2.39) and dwell time of the oldest lead (OR: 1.068). The mortality rate was 11.97% during follow-up. The risk of death was increased by: severe TR and vegetation remnants.

Conclusions: The most important phenomena evaluated after TLE are: tricuspid valve function, residual fibrosis and vegetation remnants, progression of pericardial effusion and retained lead fragments. Postoperative TEE provides information about the results of TLE and helps establish further management.

Keywords: Transvenous lead extraction (TLE); connective tissue scar; lead extraction-related tricuspid valve damage; retained lead fragments; transesophageal echocardiography (TEE); vegetation remnants.