transvenöse

Transvenous describes procedures, devices, or interventions that access the venous system and pass through a vein to reach central structures, most commonly the heart. The term is used in English as transvenous and in German as transvenöse. Transvenous routes are contrasted with transarterial routes and with extravascular approaches.

In cardiology and electrophysiology, transvenous access is standard for pacing or defibrillator systems. A transvenous pacing or cardioverter-defibrillator lead is threaded through a central vein—typically the subclavian or internal jugular, sometimes the femoral vein—into the right atrium and ventricle to provide pacing, sensing, or defibrillation. Transvenous catheterization is used to administer medications, obtain central venous pressure measurements, or provide long-term intravenous therapy. In electrophysiology, transvenous mapping and ablation catheters allow treatment of arrhythmias by delivering energy through a venous route to cardiac tissue.

Interventional radiology and neurosurgery also employ transvenous techniques, such as transvenous embolization or coiling of certain vascular lesions, where devices are delivered via the venous system to reach target pathology from a venous entry point.

Key considerations include choice of vein (internal jugular, subclavian, or femoral) based on anatomy and goals, guidance by ultrasound or fluoroscopy, and percutaneous access techniques. Risks accompanying transvenous procedures include infection, thrombosis, venous stenosis, bleeding, pneumothorax, air embolism, catheter fracture, and cardiac or vascular injury.

The transvenous approach remains a fundamental concept in modern medicine, enabling access to central circulation with relatively less invasiveness than open surgery.