The Wattson temporary pacing guidewire for transcatheter heart valve implantation

Abstract

Transcatheter aortic valve implantation and implantation of other transcatheter heart valves, generally requires insertion of a temporary venous pacemaker. Implantation of a temporary venous pacemaker adds complexity, time and risk to the procedure. Guidewire modification to allow pacing is increasingly popular, however it requires technical expertise and provides unipolar pacing resulting in high thresholds and potential capture loss. The Wattson temporary pacing guidewire is a novel device which offers guidewire support for valve delivery and concomitant bipolar pacing. It may offer a safe and effective solution to guidewire pacing for transcatheter aortic valve implantation and other transcatheter heart valve implantations. Herein, we review the literature surrounding left ventricular guidewire pacing along with the features and clinical data of the Wattson wire.