Lead extraction

Hi all 

Im more then likely going to have my RV lead extracted, due to having alot of pain chest area neck and arm, angiogram shows its possible that the electro rode has moved further and perforated the pericardium, they say i have a pericardial,and they think the lead could be the cause,

 

The rv lead has been there for 17 years,can this be done after so long inside, Im so worried

dont know what way to go, Any of you out there have had this issue would love to hear from you, my surgeon is calling me again this friday, 

Ive also been told the surgeon in iendhoven netherlands is very good they have faith in him

 

thanks for reading this john

3 Comments

Lead Extraction

by Brettmalec - 2019-01-09 15:33:41

Hi John! I was scheduled for a lead extraction when getting my second pacemaker (which was January 7th) my EP wanted to remove both of my leads and try to give me a "fresh start" as swangirl said it is a risky procedure. After a few hours in the operating room and trying to remove my leads my specialist and a few other Ep's had to call off my lead extraction because they were unable to successfully remove my leads without an elevated risk of puncturing my heart or vein. That being said, This was mainly caused by the type of leads and the way they were placed. I had very thin leads placed my first time around and they would just stretch and break when they tried to extract them (10 year old leads). I don't want to scare you as your case may be completely different, I hope that everything goes well for you!

in my gallery I actually have a photo titled "attempted lead extraction" it shows the sheath they put around the leads to try and pull them out.

Update

by johno 70 - 2019-01-10 10:42:34

Thanks to both for the update, i really appreciate it.

I have an appointment with the surgeon tomorow 4 pm, think im going to hold on for a little longer giving the risk thanks john

Leads

by johno 70 - 2019-05-21 10:27:06

Hi all still having problem with the above, And now I can’t even sleep on my left side anymore due to pain and discomfort. Back to working 6 hours a day but still to much, been told that the risk are to high to operate. And I’m going to have to live with this 😢, starting to feel really down again.

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