RESUMO
OBJECTIVES: The study sought to compare survival, lead deactivation, and lead replacement with quadripolar versus bipolar leads using a retrospective cohort of patients with newly implanted cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) systems. BACKGROUND: In CRT, quadripolar left ventricular (LV) leads offer alternative pacing sites and vectors not available with bipolar LV leads, which may improve the effectiveness of the therapy. METHODS: Using nationwide data from device implant registration records of a single manufacturer, we identified patients with a de novo cardiac resynchronization therapy with defibrillation (CRT-D) implanted between November 30, 2011, and May 31, 2013. Patients were followed for up to 24 months. The primary predictor was LV lead type (quadripolar Quartet [St. Jude Medical, St. Paul, Minnesota] LV lead or bipolar LV lead). The primary outcome was death and the secondary outcomes were LV lead replacement and deactivation. RESULTS: Among 23,570 patients (69.5 ± 11.1 years of age; 28% female; median follow-up time 1.14 years), 18,406 had quadripolar and 5,164 had bipolar LV leads. The quadripolar and bipolar groups had 5.04 and 6.45 deaths per 100 patient-years, respectively (p < 0.001). After multivariate adjustment, the quadripolar lead was associated with a lower risk of deactivation (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.62; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.46 to 0.84; p = 0.002), replacement (HR: 0.67; 95% CI: 0.55 to 0.83; p < 0.001), and death (HR: 0.77; 95% CI: 0.69 to 0.86; p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: In this observational study of CRT-D devices, use of a quadripolar, compared to a bipolar LV lead, was associated with a reduction in LV lead deactivation, replacement, and mortality.