Canadian Registry of Implantable Electronic Device Outcomes: Longer-term follow-up of the Riata lead under advisory

The Riata lead advisory was announced in 2011 and has posed unique management challenges because of cable externalization and insulation abrasion, in some cases leading to sudden loss of defibrillation.

The purpose of this study was to provide further data on the rate of electrical failure in a population of patients with a Riata lead under advisory.

Using the Canadian Registry of Electronic Device Outcomes, prospective follow-up data were collected on 1352 Riata leads under advisory in 17 implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) implantation centers in Canada. Data on electrical and structural failure were collected, as well as periprocedural complications related to lead revision (abandonment or extraction).

Of the 1352 leads included in this 12-month follow-up cohort, 110 leads were revised. Mean follow-up time was 10.4 ± 1.5 years. The 12-year rate of electrical failure for the 8Fr lead was 9.45%, whereas the 10-year failure rate for the 7Fr lead was 7.25% and was not found to be accelerating. Of the leads revised because of advisory only (patient preference, advisory related, electrical or structural failure), the majority were abandoned (n = 54 [76.0%]), whereas 17 (24.0%) were extracted using power tools. The rate of major complications in each group was 5.6% and 5.9%, respectively.

This report provides further data on the risk of electrical lead failure over a long lead dwell time. The risk of failure exceeds the risk of periprocedural major complications, indicating that the risk-to-benefit ratio is favorable to revise the lead in appropriate clinical scenarios.