The Japanese lead extraction registry (J‐LEX): Annual report 2020

The Japanese Heart Rhythm Society established a nationwide, mandatory, multi‐center, prospective, observational registry of transvenous lead extraction (TLE) named the Japanese lead extraction registry (J‐LEX) in 2018. We have published the first annual report of J‐LEX with 661 cases from 42 hospitals. The second annual report of J‐LEX in 2020 enrolled increased numbers of 785 cases from 75 hospitals. TLE procedure was attempted on patients with an average age of 71.7 years old, male in 72.5% in the hybrid operating room in 57.9%, and in standard OR with a C‐arm fluoroscope in 18.7%. The indication of TLE was an infection in 62.8% and the guideline classification was class‐I in 67.4% and class‐IIa in 23.8%. The average implantation duration of target leads was 7.9 years. Complete removal was achieved in 96.6% of the target leads and clinical success in 98.1% of the patients. Perioperative complications were observed in 7.1% of the patients. One patient died during a TLE operation and the other three patients died in‐hospital (cardiac death in one patient and non‐cardiac in two patients). Although the annual J‐LEX report in 2020 demonstrated an increased number of TLE procedures despite the first pandemic year of coronavirus disease‐2019 (COVID‐19), perioperative complications increased a little in comparison with J‐LEX 2019.