Short-spaced dipole for managing phrenic nerve stimulation in patients with CRT: the "phrenic nerve mapping and stimulation EP" catheter study.
BACKGROUND
Phrenic nerve stimulation (PNS), occurring in 33%-37% of the patients with cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT), is a limiting factor when implanting left ventricular (LV) leads from coronary veins.


OBJECTIVE
To test the hypothesis that PNS occurrence is related to bipolar electrode spacing.


METHODS
During standard CRT defibrillator implant procedures, a 5-F diagnostic electrophysiology catheter with 10 electrodes, spaced 2-5-2 mm, was positioned in a cardiac vein suitable for permanent LV lead placement. Pacing in the unipolar configuration identified the site with the lowest PNS threshold. PNS and left ventricular pacing (LVP) thresholds were then measured in different configurations at 0.5 ms: unipolar, each LV electrode served as the cathode in turn; and bipolar with different electrode spacing, cathode being the electrode with the lowest unipolar PNS threshold.


RESULTS
From February to September 2010, 40 patients undergoing CRT implantation were enrolled in 4 centers in Italy. It was possible to identify PNS and perform a complete set of measurements in 23 patients. A bipolar electrode spacing of 2 mm resulted in higher PNS thresholds in bipolar configurations han did a bipolar electrode spacing of ≥ 5 mm. However, no significant increase in the LVP threshold was observed (P = ns).


CONCLUSIONS
This experience suggests that LVP with a bipolar electrode spacing of 2 mm significantly increases the PNS threshold without affecting the LVP threshold, thereby increasing the possibility of delivering CRT when the LV lead is placed in proximity to the phrenic nerve.
Institute of Cardiology, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy. mauro.biffi@aosp.bo.it
Mauro
M
Biffi
Francesco
F
Zanon
Emanuele
E
Bertaglia
Luigi
L
Padeletti
Annamaria
A
Varbaro
Tiziana
T
De Santo
Giuseppe
G
Boriani
Zhongping
Z
Yang
D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D058406:Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D058409:Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy Devices; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D017023:Coronary Angiography; D004567:Electrodes, Implanted; D005260:Female; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D008297:Male; D010791:Phrenic Nerve / Q000503:physiopathology*; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D018487:Ventricular Dysfunction, Left / Q000503:physiopathology*