Effective long-term left atrial pacing using regular screw-in leads implanted within the coronary sinus

Passive-fixation leads positioned inside the coronary sinus (CS) have been found to be effective in LA pacing and sensing, but their use is limited by a high incidence of early and late dislodgment. Since anatomic studies have shown that the proximal part of the CS is surrounded by a relatively thick musculature, the feasibility, safety, and efficacy of acute and chronic coronary sinus pacing via regular screw-in leads positioned within the first centimeters of the CS were evaluated as compared to passive-fixation leads. Thirty-three patients (21 men, age 62 +/- 10 years) underwent dual chamber pacemaker implantation with LA pacing obtained via passive-fixation leads (7 patients) or regular screw-in leads (26 patients). The former approach was prematurely abandoned because of a high rate of acute and late lead dislodgment (42%). The chronic pacing threshold was 1.7 +/- 1.0 V at 0.67-ms pulse width and 1.47 +/- 1.3 V at 0.5-ms pulse width for passive- and active-fixation leads, respectively. In the CS active-fixation lead group, no postoperative pericardial effusion, CS lead dislodgment, nor diaphragmatic stimulation were observed. In this last group, steroid eluting leads (14 patients) have a statistically lower pacing threshold than noneluting steroid leads (12 patients) (0.88 +/- 0.23 vs 2.29 +/- 1.68 V, P = 0.011) at long-term follow-up. The use of regular screw-in leads implanted within the CS allows effective and safe long-term LA pacing without risk of dislodgment.