An active fixation lead is a pacemaker or implantable defibrillator lead that is fixed to the inside surface of the heart using some type of mechanism, most often a small “corkscrew” like device. The lead is used to detect the electrical system of the heart as well as conduct an electrical impulse from the device generator to the heart.

Figure 1: Pacemaker or ICD device with a lead in the right ventricle of the heart.

Figure 2: An active fixation lead inside the heart.

Figure 3: Close-up view of an active fixation lead anchored into the heart muscle.