Haeberlin, Andreas; Anwander, Marie-Theres; Kueffer, Thomas; Tholl, Maximilien; Baldinger, Samuel; Servatius, Helge; Lam, Anna; Franzeck, Florian; Asatryan, Babken; Zurbuchen, Adrian; Tanner, Hildegard; Reichlin, Tobias; Roten, Laurent; Noti, Fabian (2021). Unexpected high failure rate of a specific MicroPort/LivaNova/Sorin pacing lead. Heart rhythm, 18(1), pp. 41-49. Elsevier 10.1016/j.hrthm.2020.08.010
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BACKGROUND
Pacing leads are the Achilles heel of pacemakers. Most manufacturers report a 3-year survival rate of >99% of their leads. We observed several failures of the Beflex/Vega leads (MicroPort, Shanghai, China; formerly Sorin/LivaNova).
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to investigate failure rates of Beflex/Vega leads.
METHODS
We analyzed the performance of Beflex/Vega leads implanted at our tertiary referral center. All-cause lead failures (any issues requiring reinterventions such as lead dislocations, cardiac perforations, and electrical abnormalities) were identified during follow-up. The Beflex/Vega lead was compared with a reference lead (CapSureFix Novus 5076, Medtronic, Minneapolis, MN) implanted within the same period and by the same operators.
RESULTS
A total of 585 leads were analyzed (382 Beflex/Vega and 203 CapSureFix Novus 5076 leads). Cumulative failure rate estimates were 5.2%, 6.3%, and 12.4% after 1, 2, and 3 years for the Beflex/Vega lead. This was worse compared to the reference lead (1.5%, 1.5%, 3.7% after 1, 2, and 3 years; P = .001). Early failure manifestations up to 3 months occurred at a similar rate (Beflex/Vega vs CapSureFix Novus 5076 lead: 1.3% vs 0.5% for dislocations; 1.3% vs 1.0% for perforations). During follow-up, electrical abnormalities such as noise oversensing (P = .013) and increased pacing thresholds (P = .003) became more frequent in the Beflex/Vega group. Electrical abnormalities were the most common failure manifestation 3 years after implantation in this group (9.4% vs 2.2% for the CapSureFix Novus 5076).
CONCLUSION
The failure rate of the Beflex/Vega lead of >10% after 3 years was higher than that of a competitor lead. This gives rise to concern since >135,000 such leads are active worldwide.
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