High-Tech Laser Allows for Safer Removal of Cardiac Leads
Up to three million Americans live with pacemakers – tiny battery-powered devices implanted in the chest or abdomen and designed to help a patient’s heart maintain a normal rate and rhythm. Tiny wires, called leads, are attached to the inside of the heart and are intended to stay attached permanently.
However, sometimes the devices – and their wire leads – need to be removed. This procedure is called lead extraction. Saint Alphonsus doctors are the first in Idaho to use a new laser technology to make the extraction process easier and safer for the patient, minimizing the potential damage to the heart.
“Over the past decade, great strides have been made in the development of guidelines and protocols for lead extraction,” said Dr. Adam Grimaldi, medical director of the Cardiac Electrophysiology program at the Saint Alphonsus Heart Institute. “The use of state-of-the-art laser technology provides a clinically proven safe and effective treatment for lead removal. Saint Alphonsus is proud to be the first hospital in Idaho to use this system.”
Prior to using the laser, lead extraction was a complex surgical procedure, as the leads were cut away from heart tissue. The laser is more efficient than mechanically cutting tissue from the lead. The cool laser vaporizes scar tissue at a width that is less than a human hair and creates less waste, which is easily cleared from the body.
The first patient in Idaho to undergo the laser lead extraction procedure at Saint Alphonsus was 67-year-old Eagle resident Kevin White. He had a pacemaker removed and replaced with a cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillator to improve the efficiency of his heartbeat.
White says he’s pleased to be the first person in Idaho to get the pioneering technology and praised Saint Alphonsus for offering the procedure. After an overnight stay in the hospital, White was discharged and is doing well. He appreciates that he could get his procedure done without leaving the Treasure Valley.
“My understanding is your options to have this kind of type of procedure done was to go to Salt Lake City or to Seattle. And that’s quite a burden on folks, with motel rooms and all that stuff. So, it’s good to have this available here in the Valley for people that need it,” White said.
As more people receive lifesaving cardiac implants – pacemakers and defibrillators – those devices and the leads that connect to them, will require ongoing management and maintenance. The use of the latest laser technology, with a clinical success rate exceeding 97.7%, allows Saint Alphonsus doctors to safely help patients manage their cardiac devices to improve the length and quality of life.