Laser Lead Extraction

About 700,000 new pacemakers & defibrillators are implanted worldwide every year, requiring about 1.4 million electrical leads. The overwhelming majority of these devices work very well for the patients, but there are times when some leads will need to be extracted and replaced.

It is estimated that about 10,000 to 15,000 leads will need to be extracted worldwide every year due to infection, malfunction, or other reasons.

At UC San Diego we perform a very large volume of laser lead extractions. Championing the team approach, we put a team in place involving cardiac electrophysiologists, cardiothoracic surgeons, cardiac anesthesiologists, and infectious disease specialists to safely perform these extractions.