Performance of the St. Jude Medical Riata Leads

BackgroundRecent attention has been focused on the performance of high-voltage implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) leads. Lead-related adverse events can be caused by several factors, including patient characteristics, concomitant therapies, implantation technique, access site, and lead design. Few studies have included the number of patients and the follow-up duration necessary to characterize accurately the lead performance and the incidence of lead-related adverse events.ObjectiveThis study sought to define the incidence of lead-related adverse events including conductor fracture, insulation damage, perforation, and dislodgement of St. Jude Medical Riata ICD leads.MethodsData from the Advancements in ICD Therapy, OPTIM Lead InsUlation Material (OPTIMUM), Resynchronization HemodYnamic Treatment for Heart Failure Management (RHYTHM), and Post Approval Study (PAS) registries provided data from 7,497 patients with Riata leads. Patients were followed up for a median of 22 months. Adverse events, defined as those that required lead revision, extraction, or replacement, were recorded.ResultsConductor fracture occurred in 0.09%, insulation damage in 0.13%, dislodgement in 0.88%, and perforation in 0.31% of patients, respectively.ConclusionDuring more than 22 months of follow-up of over 7,000 Riata leads in 4 prospective registries and clinical trials, the incidence of lead-related adverse events including conductor fracture, insulation damage, dislodgement, and perforation necessitating lead revision, extraction, or replacement is rare.