Lead Replacement

• by Detradel
• 2013-08-26 11:08:56
• Batteries & Leads
• 1419 views
• 1 comments

Hello Everyone,
I am posting a question regarding lead replacement and the risks associated with it.

My father is supposed to get a pacer upgrade to a bi-ventricular pacer. He has a duel chamber pacer now.

They checked his veins on the left side of his heart to add the third lead and they are blocked. However the right side is good.

The doctor called to say that he wants to do it on the left side rather than the right. He wants to take out one of the leads he already has on the left replace it with two leads. He doesn't like the idea of putting 3 new leads in on the right, giving him a total of 5 leads into the heart. He feels the short term risk is better than the long term risk of having 5 leads into his heart.

Just looking for some information or anyone else who might have had this done. My father is 83 years old and his health is not that good. But life right now for him is not that good.
Ultimately it is his decision, but I want to give him all the information he needs to make a good one.
Thanks!