Key result
CRT pacemaker implantation resolves bradycardia symptoms in rapidly progressive His-Purkinje disease with alternating bundle branch block.
Why the study?
Alternating bundle branch block is a rare, high-risk ECG finding, but full serial documentation of its progression with intracardiac confirmation during the same clinical course is exceptionally uncommon.
Case Report (n=1)
This case illustrates the rapid progression of His-Purkinje disease to alternating bundle branch block, reinforcing its status as a high-risk phenotype requiring urgent permanent pacing.
Supports CRT-P for symptom relief in alternating bundle branch block; extends rapid-progression documentation but remains hypothesis-generating.
Background Disease of the cardiac conduction system may arise in the atrioventricular node or distal His–Purkinje network, with important differences in mechanism, prognosis, and management. Alternating bundle branch block (ABBB) is a rare, high-risk electrocardiographic finding reflecting advanced bilateral His–Purkinje involvement, particularly when accompanied by atrioventricular block. Full serial documentation of its progression with intracardiac confirmation during the same clinical course appears exceptionally uncommon. Case Summary We present an educational case of rapidly progressive His–Purkinje disease in which serial electrocardiograms documented evolution from early fascicular disease to bifascicular involvement, left bundle branch block, and ultimately ABBB with superimposed infra-Hisian Mobitz type II block over less than 8 months. Evaluation did not identify an obvious reversible or structural cause. Electrophysiology study provided intracardiac correlation of the surface ECG findings, directly capturing ABBB with superimposed infra-Hisian Mobitz type II block and confirming advanced His–Purkinje system disease. Given this high-risk conduction phenotype, cardiac resynchronization therapy pacemaker implantation was performed, with subsequent symptom resolution. Discussion The principal value of this educational case lies not simply in the presence of ABBB, but in the unusually complete chronology with which rapidly progressive His–Purkinje disease was documented and mechanistically confirmed. This case highlights the importance of recognizing ABBB as a Class I pacing indication, irrespective of symptoms, and illustrates the challenge of completing etiologic evaluation, including cardiac magnetic resonance imaging, when urgent device implantation is required.
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Hernandez et al. (2026) conducted a case report in Rapidly progressive His-Purkinje disease and alternating bundle branch block (n=1). Cardiac resynchronization therapy pacemaker was evaluated on Symptom resolution. Cardiac resynchronization therapy pacemaker implantation successfully resolved bradycardia-related symptoms in a patient with rapidly progressive His-Purkinje disease and alternating bundle branch block.
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