Superior Vena Cava Syndrome

Inga

by Tracey_E - 2018-07-23 13:02:07

Inga (username golden_snitch) hasn't been around in a while, but you can find her old posts. I don't know if she had the sydrome or the vein collapsed (or if that's the same thing?) but I would imagine the end result is the same, the vein won't hold the leads. She ended up with epicardial leads and last I heard she was doing well with them. She posted about it more than once. 

SVC Syndrome and Venous Thrombosis after Device Implantation

by Heart-Rhythm-Center.com - 2018-07-23 15:06:15

Sam:

Upper extremity deep venous thrombosis (or stenosis) is uncommon in the general population but venous stenosis has been seen in up to 33‐64% of patients after implantation of pacing leads. Statistically significant factors that have been associated with an increased risk include previous transvenous temporary leads, left ventricular ejection fraction <40%, systemic infection, absence of anticoagulation, use of hormone treatment, personal history of venous thrombosis, and presence of multiple leads. Symptoms may include shoulder or neck discomfort, ipsilateral arm edema with cyanosis,dilated collateral cutaneous veins around the shoulder, or jugular vein distension. Venography is considered the gold standard for diagnosis but compressive ultrasonography is an effective and economical means of confirming the clinical diagnosis. Treatment may include anticoagulation (warfarin and/or heparin), extraction of old nonfunctioning lead to create a new venous channel, or venoplasty to reduce venous stenosis or allow the implantation of subsequent leads. 

Complicated explanation but hope this helps.