Effect of Nonselective His Bundle Pacing on Delayed Myocardial Activation in Left-axis Deviation and Left Bundle Branch Block

It has been suggested that nonselective His bundle pacing (NS-HBP) corrects terminal conduction delay in right bundle branch block by early excitation of the right ventricular free wall. A similar analysis of NS-HBP, in patients with left bundle branch block (LBBB) and left-axis deviation (LAD) has not been done. Therefore, we compared the baseline QRS parameters in LAD and LBBB during NS-HBP and selective HBP (S-HBP). In LAD patients (n = 16), NS-HBP normalized the QRS axis from −35° ± 10° to 30° ± 34° (p < 0.01) and increased the lead 1 voltage (L1V) from 0.55 ± 0.3 mV to 0.88 ± 0.2 mV (p < 0.001) without increasing the peak lateral wall activation time (PLWAT) (p = not significant). In 23 of 41 LBBB patients, NS-HBP decreased the prolonged PLWAT by 73 ms (p < 0.0001), resolved the mid-QRS notch, normalized the QRS axis, and increased the L1V from 0.5 ± 0.3 mV to 1.15 ± 0.3 mV (p < 0.0001). In the remaining 18 LBBB patients, NS-HBP did not resolve the mid-QRS notch; however, the peak septal activation time decreased by 45 ms (p < 0.0001), PLWAT decreased by 53 ms (p < 0.0001), L1V increased from 0.5 ± 0.3 mV to 0.87 ± 0.4 mV (p < 0.0001), and the QRS axis normalized. All patients who developed S-HBP at lower pacing showed uncorrected LBBB (n = 6) or LAD (n = 7). In conclusion, NS-HBP, which causes myocardial activation in advance of simultaneously initiated S-HBP, results in a paced QRS complex with a normal axis and shorter activation times and restores the L1V in patients with LAD and LBBB. In some patients, a mid-QRS notch was seen with NS-HBP, which suggests fusion with S-HBP, which conducts without LBBB correction. A higher L1V in association with a shorter PLWAT and a normal QRS axis suggests that a more organized degree of left ventricular activation occurs with NS-HBP as compared to LBBB.