Analysis of the Electrocardiographic Waveforms Produced by Right Ventricular Pacing: Relation to the Nonpaced Patterns

BACKGROUND: Ventricular aberrant conduction has a confounding effect on the known relationships between the electrocardiogram (ECG) and left ventricular (LV) mass. By relating the ECG of right ventricular pacing to LV mass and to nonpaced recordings, clarification of these effects might emerge. METHODS AND RESULTS: In 30 patients (age, 81 +/- 7 years; 13 women) who had right ventricular paced ECGs and echocardiograms, 24 of who also had nonpaced ECGs, comparative analyses were performed. Although the nonpaced ECGs had strong correlations with various echocardiographic measurements, for paced ECGs, only QRS complex voltage and interventricular septal thickness (IVS) were significantly related. However, paced QRS complex voltage relationships correlated with those of nonpaced QRS complexes, ranging from an r = 0.54, P < 0.006, for the sum of the R in aVL and the S in V-3 to r = 0.78, P < 0.001, for the sum of the R in I and the S in III. Paced ECGs had a QRS complex with a greater spatial amplitude, a longer duration, and a more superior position, and had more deeply inverted T waves than nonpaced ECGs. The differences between the voltages of paced and nonpaced QRS complexes, moreover, diminished as LV mass and/or IVS increased. When compared with nonpaced ECGs, paced ECGs showed the most similarity to nonpaced ECGs having a left bundle branch block (LBBB) pattern. Except for the presence of more superiorly directed QRS complexes, paced impulses were not significantly different (P < 0.008) from nonpaced impulses having a LBBB pattern. Also, the nonpaced ECG pattern had no discernable effect on ECG produced by right ventricular (RV) pacing. CONCLUSIONS: Despite having weak relations with echocardiographic measurements, the QRS complex voltage of the paced ECG correlated with those of nonpaced ECGs, and the voltage differences between them were smaller as LV mass increased.