Multipolar Left Ventricular Lead Implantation in a Unique Coronary Sinus: Direct Drainage of the Posterior Vein into the Right Atrium

Abstract

The coronary sinus, whose electrical features play an important role in cardiac arrhythmias, is the integral part of the cardiac venous system. Here we describe a 67-year-old male patient with congestive heart failure who was referred to our hospital after the failure of the first cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillator (CRT-D) implantation. During the cannulation of the coronary sinus, the separate orifice of the posterior cardiac vein was demonstrated by the retrograde filling of the coronary sinus via contrast injection into the posterior cardiac vein. Due to the serious tortuosity of the coronary venous sinus, a multipolar left ventricular lead was implanted using the separate ostium of the posterior cardiac vein. In our patient, the posterior cardiac vein directly drained into the right atrium. At 3 months’ follow-up with the CRT-D, he was asymptomatic (New York Heart Association functional class I).