Recommendations on lead extraction-Joint recommendations of the German Cardiac Society (GCS) and the German Society for Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery (GSTCVS)

Cardiac implantable electronic device explantation and lead extraction has become increasingly more important in recent years. So far, no uniform standard has been formulated for these interventions in Germany with respect to the personnel, structure and equipment requirements. Therefore, the German Cardiac Society (GCS), together with the German Society for Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery (GSTCVS), decided to draw up a consensus paper. This paper defines cross-professional standards for performing these interventions taking practical, clinical and legal aspects into account.