LV lead placement Procedure Outcomes
All 42 patients of the Inner-Cath group received successful LV-LPs. Forty of them (95.2%) were guided by an Inner-Cath alone while the remaining 2 patients (4.8%) required an additional use of an Outer-Cath (Table 2). Meanwhile, 30 of 32 patients (93.8%) of the Outer-Cath group successfully received LV-LPs. In 2 patients (6.2%) of the Outer-Cath group, the LV-LP had to be abandoned due to CS perforation during repeated cannulations of the Outer-Cath to the CS trunk. Total procedure time and time to LV-LP were shorter in the Inner-Cath group (148±38 vs. 168±42 min, P=0.024; 77±35 vs. 96±36 min, P=0.011, respectively). No significant differences were observed in fluoroscopic time and dose, contrast dose, or incidence of LV lead dislodgements due to peeling-off of the guiding catheters. The additional use of an Outer-Cath or Inner-Cath was required less frequently in the Inner-Cath group than in the Outer-Cath group (4.8% vs. 56.3%, P<0.001). LV lead threshold was significantly lower in the Inner-Cath group (0.9±0.5 vs. 1.2±0.5 V, P=0.0498). All LV leads were placed in the anterolateral, lateral and posterolateral LV areas without a significant difference in distribution of location between the 2 groups.