Abstract
Persistent left superior vena cava is known to be a challenging anatomic abnormality for transvenous cardiac device implantation. In the a case of a young man presenting with dilative cardiomyopathy with severely impaired left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and second-degree atrioventricular block (AV block), cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) with defibrillator (CRT-D) implantation was indicated. A transvenous approach was attempted, but placement of the right ventricular lead was not successful due to anatomic abnormalities. Therefore, epicardial CRT leads were implanted via a left mini-thoracotomy. For primary prevention of sudden death, the patient was also fitted with an additional subcutaneous implantable cardioverter defibrillator (S-ICD). Any cross-talk between the devices was ruled out both intraoperatively and by ergometry prior to discharge. The combination of epicardial CRT-P with S‑ICD implantation might be a safe and effective alternative in patients with cardiac anatomic abnormalities.
Zusammenfassung
Das Vorliegen einer persistierenden linken oberen Hohlvene stellt eine anatomische Herausforderung bei der transvenösen Implantation kardialer Geräte dar. Bei einem jungen Mann, der sich mit dilatativer Kardiomyopathie mit hochgradig eingeschränkter linksventrikulärer Ejektionsfraktion und AV-Block zweiten Grades vorstellte, war die Implantation eines Systems zur kardialen Resynchronisationstherapie mit Defibrillator (CRT-D) indiziert. Dies wurde über einen transvenösen Zugang versucht. Allerdings war die Platzierung der rechtsventrikulären Sonde aufgrund der anatomischen Varianz nicht möglich. Über eine linkslaterale Minithorakotomie wurden epikardiale CRT-Elektroden implantiert. Zur Primärprophylaxe des plötzlichen Herztods wurde der Patient zudem mit einem subkutan implantierbaren Kardioverter-Defibrillator (S-ICD) versorgt. Ein möglicher „cross-talk“ zwischen beiden Geräten konnte intraoperativ und mittels Ergometrie vor Entlassung ausgeschlossen werden. Die kombinierte Implantation von epikardialem CRT-P und S‑ICD könnte eine sichere und effektive Alternative bei Patienten mit kardialen anatomischen Anomalien darstellen.
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J. W. Erath, A. S. Sirat, M. Vamos and S. H. Hohnloser declare that they have no competing interests.
All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study. Additional informed consent was obtained from all individual participants from whom identifying information is included in this article.
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Erath, J.W., Sirat, A.S., Vamos, M. et al. Epicardial CRT-P- and S-ICD Implantation in a Young Patient with Persistent Left Superior Vena Cava. Herzschr Elektrophys 27, 396–398 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00399-016-0451-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00399-016-0451-5
Keywords
- Cardiac resynchronization therapy
- Ergometry
- Defibrillators, implantable
- Electrocardiography
- Ventricular ejection fraction