Biventricular defibrillation using transvenous electrodes

This study investigated the feasibility of transvenous biventricular defibrillation using an electrode in a left ventricular vein. The standard lead configuration with a coil in the right ventricle (RV) and a coil in the superior vena cava (SVC) was compared with an additional unipolar coil in an accessible epicardial vein. Only biphasic shocks were used with different shocking modes between the coils in the RV, LV, SVC and the ICD-generator (CAN). Shocks were applied starting with 30 J, decreasing till the DFT was reached. As a result there is a lower DFT when defibrillation is performed including the left ventricular electrode. The impedance did not show a significant increase after more then 20 consecutive shocks. It is a feasible and workable application that might help to reduce the energy demand and increase the safety of such a system.