Abstract
Complex coronary vein morphology impedes the insertion of the left ventricular (LV) lead and reduces the effectiveness of cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT). A 77-year-old woman underwent dual-chamber pacemaker implantation via the left subclavian approach for a complete atrioventricular block 17 years previously. She was hospitalized due to decompensated heart failure, and her cardiac rhythm completely depended on ventricular pacing at that time. Transthoracic echocardiography showed thinning of the ventricular septum in the basal region and pacing-induced dyssynchrony. She was clinically diagnosed with cardiac sarcoidosis with severe LV systolic dysfunction. She was referred for an upgrade to CRT. Given that prior contrast venography showed occlusion of the left subclavian vein, an additional LV lead was inserted through the right subclavian vein. Coronary venography showed a lateral vein that branched from the great cardiac vein with an acute angle and had multiple tortuosities in the peripheral branches. Since the LV lead placement was unsuccessful with the conventional method, we attempted the lead placement using the balloon occlusion technique (BOT). Lead delivery into the anatomical optimal lateral vein was successful by using BOT, and LV pacing from the most delayed basal region was achieved in combination with the active fixation LV lead.<Learning objective: The balloon occlusion technique in cardiac resynchronization therapy implantation has been introduced to achieve left ventricular (LV) lead insertion into the coronary vein with a complex morphology. A quadripolar active fixation LV lead, which has been recently developed, has a low dislodgement rate and enables lead placement to the desired location. Application of conventional techniques in combination with the active fixation LV lead is expected to improve the success rate of optimal LV pacing in patients with complex coronary vein morphology.>
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