Low defibrillation threshold in a patient with a dual-coil defibrillator lead implanted through a persistent left superior vena cava.

Several reports have described the successful insertion of implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) in patients with a persistent left superior vena cava (PLSVC). The implanters have used various techniques to achieve appropriate lead placement. In our case, the use of a long sheath, guided by a deflectable catheter, not only facilitated proper implantation of the lead, but also provided a unique position of the dual-coil lead. This resulted in a very low defibrillation threshold (DFT). We describe a case of a patient found to have a PLSVC at implant who after successful insertion of the ICD exhibited DFT ≤ 5 J. ©2012, The Authors. Journal compilation ©2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.