Preserving Access After Lead Extraction in Venous Stenosis Using Snaring: The Cowboy Bridge Technique

Maintaining continuous access to the right heart chambers during lead extraction is essential, especially when venous stenosis is present. The Cowboy Bridge technique is a novel and reproducible approach that implies retrograde snaring from a femoral access. We report our results applying this technique in two patients with venous stenosis who required a device upgrade with lead extraction. This procedure facilitates the implantation of new leads by maintaining thorough-and-through access and lowering the risk of perforation compared to anterograde or retrograde attempts to traverse the stenotic site with additional wires or catheters.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
Arrhythmia & Electrophysiology Review
Published
2026-02-17
DOI
https://doi.org/10.15420/aer.2025.57
Primary Topic
Cardiac pacing and defibrillation studies
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

Preserving Access After Lead Extraction in Venous Stenosis Using Snaring: The Cowboy Bridge Technique

Jesús Saldaña García, Elkin González Villegas, José Carlos Romero Carmona, Panagiotis Mililis et al.
Arrhythmia & Electrophysiology Review
Cardiac pacing and defibrillation studies
article

Preserving Access After Lead Extraction in Venous Stenosis Using Snaring: The Cowboy Bridge Technique

Jesús Saldaña García, Elkin González Villegas, José Carlos Romero Carmona, Panagiotis Mililis, Rafael Peinado Peinado, K Letsas, M Efremidis, A Saplaouras, Alejandra Barreto
article en

Abstract

Maintaining continuous access to the right heart chambers during lead extraction is essential, especially when venous stenosis is present. The Cowboy Bridge technique is a novel and reproducible approach that implies retrograde snaring from a femoral access. We report our results applying this technique in two patients with venous stenosis who required a device upgrade with lead extraction. This procedure facilitates the implantation of new leads by maintaining thorough-and-through access and lowering the risk of perforation compared to anterograde or retrograde attempts to traverse the stenotic site with additional wires or catheters.

Arrhythmia & Electrophysiology ReviewVol. 15
Hospital Universitario La Paz (ES), Onassis Cardiac Surgery Center (GR)
Openalex Percentile: Top 56%
Cardiac pacing and defibrillation studies
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.

Preserving Access After Lead Extraction in Venous Stenosis Using Snaring: The Cowboy Bridge Technique — Jesús Saldaña García, Elkin González Villegas, et al. · Arrhythmia & Electrophysiology Review (2026) | TGRS Research Map | TGRS