Worsening tricuspid regurgitation after ICD implantation is rather due to transvenous lead than natural progression.

BACKGROUND: Transvenous implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (TV-ICDs) are associated with greater tricuspid regurgitation (TR) severity, which leads to increased mortality. The pathophysiology is assumed to be lead-related, hence, treatment includes lead extraction. However, TR may also naturally occur in the high-risk ICD population, or may be caused by right ventricular pacing. We sought to evaluate the effect of ICD type (with or without lead) and pacing percentage on post-implantation TR severity. METHODS: In this retrospective cohort study, consecutive patients were included with a primary S-ICD or TV-ICD implantation between 2009 and 2019 and echocardiography studies ≤3 months before and ≤ 3 years post-implantation. The effect of ICD type on TR severity at follow-up was estimated adjusting for ventricular pacing percentage and potential confounders. The effect of ventricular pacing percentage on TR severity at follow-up was adjusted for potential confounders. RESULTS: 118 patients were included (mean age 52 ± 21): 31 (26%) with an S-ICD and 87 (74%) with a TV-ICD. Median 20 months post-implantation, worsening TR was found in 11/31 (34%) S-ICD patients and 45/87 (52%) TV-ICD patients (p = 0.15). Adjusted for age, atrial fibrillation, baseline TR and mitral regurgitation, ventricular pacing percentage, ICD dwelling time, BMI, hypertension and left ventricular ejection fraction, TV-ICDs were significantly associated with greater TR severity (OR 9.90, p = 0.002). Ventricular pacing percentage was very low, and not significantly associated with greater TR severity (OR 0.95, p = 0.066). CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that greater TR severity in ICD patients is mainly caused by the transvenous lead, rather than natural progression in the ICD population.

A comprehensive scoping review on transvenous temporary pacing therapy.

Transvenous temporary cardiac pacing therapy (TV-TP) is widely used to treat life-threatening arrhythmias. Yet aggregated evidence on TV-TP is limited. We conducted a systematic scoping review to evaluate indications, access routes and complications of TV-TP, as well as permanent pacemaker therapy (PPM) following TV-TP. Clinical studies concerning TV-TP were identified in Ovid MEDLINE. Case studies and studies lacking complication rates were excluded. To assess complication incidence over time, differences in mean complication rates between 10-year intervals since the introduction of TV-TP were evaluated. We identified 1398 studies, of which 32 were included, effectively including 4546 patients. Indications varied considerably; however TV-TP was most commonly performed in atrioventricular block (62.7%). The preferred site of access was the femoral vein (47.2%). The mean complication rate was 36.7%, of which 10.2% were considered serious. The incidence of complications decreased significantly between 10-year interval groups, but remained high in the most recent time period (22.9%) (analysis of variance; p < 0.001). PPM was required in 64.2% of cases following TV-TP. Atrioventricular block was the primary indication for TV-TP; however indications varied widely. The femoral vein was the most frequent approach. Complications are common in patients undergoing TV-TP. Although a decrease has been observed since its introduction, the clinical burden remains significant. The majority of patients who underwent TV-TP required PPM therapy.