Patent ID: 7725197

Claim:
A medical electrical lead configured to be partially implanted in a cardiac vessel, the lead comprising: an elongate body defining a proximal region and a distal region, the proximal region including a proximal end adapted to be connected to an implantable medical device, the distal region including at least one tissue contacting portion selectively located to contact an inner surface of the cardiac vessel when the distal region is located in the cardiac vessel; and a fixation feature coupled to the tissue contacting portion, the fixation feature including a sleeve or collar with a fabric structure thereon adapted to frictionally engage the inner surface of the cardiac vessel and to allow tissue in-growth, the sleeve or collar releasably coupled to an outer surface of the lead body by a bond configured to allow the sleeve or collar to be detached from the lead body in response to a proximally directed force applied to the lead when the lead is secured to the cardiac vessel wall by tissue in-growth.