Subcutaneous implantable cardioverter defibrillator lead displacement

A 52-year-old gentleman with a subcutaneous implantable cardioverter defibrillator (S-ICD) implanted in 2015 for primary prevention and a background of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy presented via remote monitoring alert (Boston Scientific Latitude NXT) with an aborted charge episode. The episode showed myopotential noise with baseline wander, and an urgent outpatient follow-up was arranged. Upon investigation the S-ICD lead had retracted to the pocket of the generator via a reel mechanism, wrapping the lead around the can. This was likely to be caused by insufficient suturing of the lead collar at the base of xiphisternum. The device had automatically disabled the SmartPass filter, which does not currently have an alert mechanism. This case highlights the rare occurrence of S-ICD lead displacement and components of the SmartPass system which can provide an early warning to lead problems.