Depression of distal AV conduction following ventricular pacing

Overdrive prolongation of refractoriness and fatigue in the early stages of human bundle branch disease

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study was to assess the response of refractoriness in normal and diseased human bundle branches to changes in cycle length, as well as during a long period of continuous overdrive pacing.

BACKGROUND

The anterograde refractory period of the bundle branches in patients with functional bundle branch block shortens as the rate is increased. The rate-dependent response of refractoriness in diseased bundle branches is quite different. However, this difference has not been precisely delineated, and its physiologic meaning is uncertain.

METHODS

Refractoriness of the bundle branches was measured by the extrastimulus technique in 16 patients with tachycardia-dependent bundle branch block and 10 patients with functional bundle branch block, both after basic trains of 8 atrial-paced impulses at different cycle lengths and during a 10-min period of continuous overdrive pacing.

RESULTS

The baseline refractory period in the bundle branches of patients with functional bundle branch block measured 430 +/- 32 ms (mean +/- SD) and shortened to 368 +/- 30 ms at the shortest cycle length. The maximal effect was reached within the 1st min of overdrive pacing. The baseline refractory period of the bundle branches was significantly longer in patients with tachycardia-dependent bundle branch block (611 +/- 184 ms) and demonstrated a cumulative overdrive prolongation in 15 (83%) of 18 studies with typical manifestations of fatigue. In two other studies, this occurred only after ajmaline administration.

CONCLUSIONS

A rate- and time-dependent prolongation of refractoriness frequently occurs in diseased human bundle branches. When absent, this response may be induced under the effects of sodium channel blockers. This would suggest that an abnormality in the recovery from inactivation of the sodium channel might underlie the early stages of bundle branch disease.

Fatigue of the His-Purkinje system during routine electrophysiologic studies

In this report we describe fatigue of the His-Purkinje system during retrograde stimulation of the His bundle by ventricular programmed stimulation. The patient underwent electrophysiologic evaluation for syncope. Antegrade conduction and supraventricular studies were normal with the exception of baseline left bundle branch block. During programmed ventricular stimulation, the patient developed intra-Hisian and infra-Hisian block with symptomatic 3:1 atrioventricular heart block requiring insertion of a permanent pacemaker. This case demonstrates the need for careful study of both antegrade and retrograde conduction properties of the His bundle and atrioventricular node when performing standard His bundle studies in evaluation of syncope.

Rate-related suppression and facilitation of conduction in isolated canine cardiac Purkinje fibers

Previous studies have shown that antegrade conduction through damaged His Purkinje tissue may be suppressed following rapid ventricular pacing (overdrive suppression of conduction). We studied this phenomenon using isolated Purkinje fibers placed in a three-chamber bath. Superfusates for the left, middle, and right segments of the fiber were altered to produce action potentials that resembled those of normal bundle branch, damaged His bundle, and normal His bundle, respectively. To produce anisotropic conduction, the left segment of the fiber was adjusted to be three to four times longer than the right segment. Pacing the right segment at intermediate rates produced maximal action potential amplitude in the middle segment and 1:1 right-to-left conduction, whereas pacing at faster or slower rates reduced action potential amplitude and produced block. Pacing the left segment at fast or slow rates also reduced action potential amplitude in the middle segment, but conduction was maintained (anisotropy). After rapid or slow left segment pacing, action potential amplitude in the middle segment remained low during subsequent right segment pacing at intermediate rates, and transient block occurred (overdrive or underdrive suppression of conduction). With time, action potential amplitude normalized and conduction resumed. In other more severely depressed preparations, conduction block occurred even at intermediate right segment pacing rates prior to left segment pacing. Under these conditions, pacing the left segment at intermediate rates increased action potential amplitude in the middle segment and temporarily permitted 1:1 conduction at intermediate right segment pacing rates (overdrive facilitation of conduction).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Overdrive suppression of conduction in the canine His-Purkinje system after occlusion of the anterior septal artery

The purpose of these experiments was to determine whether overdrive suppression of conduction (OSC), i.e., transient worsening of conduction or development of atrioventricular block after cessation of rapid pacing, could be produced in the canine His-Purkinje system damaged by ligation of the anterior septal coronary artery and to investigate the responsible mechanism. We found that OSC occurred in vivo after rapid ventricular and His bundle pacing but not after atrial pacing, and that it occurred in vitro after rapid pacing from the left bundle branch but not after pacing from the proximal His bundle. OSC was related to the duration and cycle length of pacing. Lidocaine increased while verapamil reduced the duration of OSC in vivo. The mechanism responsible for the unidirectionality of OSC is not clear but is probably related to the geometry of the atrioventricular junction and the anterograde versus the retrograde activation sequence. Changes in regional myocardial blood flow, autonomic tone, hemodynamic variables, or ventricular function do not appear to be required to produce OSC, based on the demonstration of the phenomenon in vitro. The data suggest a time- and rate-dependent change in factors affecting conduction such as excitability or cell-to-cell coupling, possibly due to accumulation of intracellular cations such as calcium.

Clinical evaluation of a single-pass implantable electrode for all modes of pacing. The "Crown of Thorns" lead

Physiological pacing was instituted in 17 patients (11 men and 6 women), mean age 67 years (range 33-77 years), using a variety of multiprogramable generators attached to a permanent single-pass dual chamber electrode. Eleven patients were paced in VAT mode (Cordis 208A or Siemens-Elema 625 generator), two patients in DVI mode (Intermedics Cyberlith IV generator) and four patients in DDD mode (Siemens-Elema 664/P33 or Telectronics Autima unit). Mean intracardiac P wave amplitude was 2.0 mV +/- 0.78/SD, range 0.7-3.6 mV. and mean atrial and ventricular pacing thresholds were 1.0 V and 0.5 V, respectively. Fourteen patients had completely successful A-V pacing during a follow-up period of 4-13 months (mean 7 +/- 2.7 months). Two failures were associated with malposition of the atrial crown and occurred exclusively with the Cordis 208A generator. In both patients generator replacement using a more sensitive unit (Siemens-Elema 625) resulted in successful VAT pacing for most of the time. Complete failure of A-V pacing occurred in only one patient who died from coronary artery disease after four months of follow-up. Thus, all of the remaining 16 patients achieved long-term (6 months) satisfactory physiological pacing using this new lead. We conclude that the "Crown of Thorns" electrode is a successful single-pass unipolar lead and can be used with all types of dual chamber generator for all modes of pacing.