Fusion beat in patients with heart failure treated with left ventricular pacing: may ECG morphology relate to mechanical synchrony? A pilot study.
BACKGROUND
Electrical fusion between left ventricular pacing and spontaneous right ventricular activation is considered the key to resynchronisation in sinus rhythm patients treated with single-site left ventricular pacing.


OBJECTIVE
Use of QRS morphology to optimize device programming in patients with heart failure (HF), sinus rhythm (SR), left bundle branch block (LBBB), treated with single-site left ventricular pacing.


RESULTS
We defined the "fusion band" (FB) as the range of AV intervals within which surface ECG showed an intermediate morphology between the native LBBB and the fully paced right bundle branch block patterns.Twenty-four patients were enrolled. Echo-derived parameters were collected in the FB and compared with the basal LBBB condition. Velocity time integral and ejection time did not improve significantly. Diastolic filling time, ejection fraction and myocardial performance index showed a statistically significant improvement in the FB. Interventricular delay and mitral regurgitation progressively and significantly decreased as AV delay shortened in the FB. The tissue Doppler asynchrony index (Ts-SD-12-ejection) showed a non significant decreasing trend in the FB. The indications provided by the tested parameters were mostly concordant in that part of the FB corresponding to the shortest AV intervals.


CONCLUSIONS
Using ECG criteria based on the FB may constitute an attractive option for a safe, simple and rapid optimization of resynchronization therapy in patients with HF, SR and LBBB.
Gianfranchi
Lorella
L
Division of Cardiology, Ospedale di Cento (Fe), via Vicini 2, Cento, Italy. l.gianfranchi@ausl.fe.it
Bettiol
Katia
K
Sassone
Biagio
B
Verlato
Roberto
R
Corbucci
Giorgio
G
Alboni
Paolo
P
D000368:Aged; D002037:Bundle-Branch Block / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy*; D002304:Cardiac Pacing, Artificial / Q000379:methods*; D015150:Echocardiography, Doppler; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005260:Female; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010865:Pilot Projects; D013318:Stroke Volume / Q000502:physiology; D016896:Treatment Outcome