Prolonged Paced QRS Duration as a Predictor for Congestive Heart Failure in Patients with Right Ventricular Apical Pacing

BACKGROUND: The recent studies showed that right ventricular (RV) pacing was associated with worsening of heart failure. The aim of this study is to clarify the clinical significance of paced QRS duration during RV pacing to predict congestive heart failure (CHF) patients. METHODS AND RESULTS: This study enrolled in 92 patients with atrioventricular block who underwent initial pacemaker implantation. The paced QRS duration was automatically obtained by electrocardiography immediately after pacemaker implantation and then by routine attendance at a pacemaker clinic every 3 months. The paced QRS duration was positively correlated with left ventricular end-diastolic dimension (P < 0.05) and left ventricular end-systolic dimension (P < 0.05), and tended to negatively correlate with left ventricular ejection fraction (P = 0.0507). The paced QRS duration immediately after pacemaker implantation was 170.4 +/- 18.9 ms. During a mean follow-up period of 53 +/- 16 months, 16 patients developed CHF. We selected as a cut-off value the nearest whole number (190 ms) that was one standard deviation greater than the mean, and divided into two groups according to baseline paced QRS duration. Patients with a paced QRS duration of <190 ms comprised group A (n = 77, nine of which developed CHF) and the remainder comprised group B (n = 15, seven of which developed CHF). Prolonged paced QRS duration (> or =190 ms) was associated with a significant increase in the overall morbidity of CHF (P < 0.05). Additionally, paced QRS duration significantly prolonged during the follow-up period among group A patients with CHF (P < 0.05), but did not change among patients without CHF. CONCLUSION: We concluded that paced QRS duration can be a useful indicator of impaired left ventricular function in patients with RV pacing. Even in patients whose paced QRS duration is relatively shorter, progressive prolongation of paced QRS duration can predict the development of CHF.