General Principles of Transvenous Lead Extraction of Permanent Pacemaker and Internal Cardioverter Defibrillator Systems

Technological improvements and enlarging indications during the last decade resulted in increased implantation rate of pacemakers and implantable cardioverter defibrillators. Despite the proven benefits of these devices in certain medical conditions, the patients who underwent implantation of pacemakers and internal defibrillators are sometimes prone to develop complications such as infection or lead problems. In such circumstances it might be mandatory to extract the whole system from the body and replace a new system at a later date. With the advent of new techniques and tools, extraction of infected leads and pacemakers became much easier than previously thought. This article comprehensively describes general principles and indications as well as the current technique how to perform lead extraction.