Safety of Distal His Bundle Pacing Via the Right Ventricle Backed Up by Adjacent Ventricular Capture.

OBJECTIVES

This study investigated the differences between distal His bundle pacing (HBP) via the right ventricle and proximal HBP via the right atrium with regard to pacing and sensing parameters.

BACKGROUND

HBP preserves physiological ventricular activation. The capture threshold of the adjacent ventricle accompanying HBP has not been evaluated after implantation.

METHODS

Fifty patients with bradycardia (58% with atrioventricular block) underwent successful HBP and were followed for 1 year. Precise locations of the lead tips were confirmed using follow-up echocardiography.

RESULTS

HBP leads were fixed via the right atrium or right ventricle (25 patients each). Overall, the local ventricle and HBP thresholds were elevated during follow-up. The distal HBP thresholds did not significantly differ from the proximal HBP thresholds, although local ventricular thresholds of distal HBP were markedly lower than those of proximal HBP. At 6 months, the accepted ventricular threshold (≤2.5 V) was maintained in 39 patients (78%). An amplitude of ventricular electrogram post-fixation of ≥2.0 mV and a capture threshold of ≤1.1 V at implantation were determined to be optimal values for predicting the accepted threshold at 6 months, with areas under the curve of 0.86 and 0.84, respectively. Atrial oversensing was often detected in proximal HBP but not distal HBP.

CONCLUSIONS

Distal HBP via the right ventricle captured the His bundle, similar to proximal HBP via the right atrium, with a superior local ventricular threshold during follow-up. Anatomy and electrophysiological ventricular properties at implantation may be critical for maintaining adjacent ventricle capture to prevent lead revision (Evaluation of Electrophysiological Parameters related to His Bundle Pacing in Patients With Bradyarrhythmias; UMIN000031364).