TriHealth is notifying individuals whose information was involved in a recent third-party data security incident. Click here for more information.
Laser lead extraction is a non-surgical approach used to extract pacemaker wires that need to be removed. The TriHealth Heart & Vascular Institute offers the most experienced physicians in Cincinnati to perform this procedure, providing you with quality care you can trust.
TriHealth’s Good Samaritan Hospital was the first in the region to perform this procedure and now performs 50 to 100 cases each year, having removed more than 1,000 leads since initiating the program in 1989. In fact, Good Samaritan’s volume of cases ranks in the top 15 in the country and our physicians have a 99 percent success rate in removing leads.
This technique involves the use of a hollow laser to break up scar tissue, which often holds the lead in place. Entering the body through a vein in the shoulder, a stylette is directed through the lead and locked onto the heart wall to keep the lead stationary and firm. The physician then uses a laser to vaporize scar tissue that holds the lead in place and pulls the lead through the shoulder vein.
Removing a lead requires a complex risk and benefit decision based on the patient’s age, number of leads, and age of the leads. Infection and abandoned leads causing problems are primary reasons for removal.