Key result
LBBP improves LVEF by ~15 points in a post-transplant heart.
Why the study?
Does left bundle branch pacing support recovery of left ventricular function in a patient with high-grade AV block and mild LV dysfunction following orthotopic cardiac transplantation?
Case Report (n=1)
No
Does left bundle branch pacing support recovery of left ventricular function in a patient with high-grade AV block and mild LV dysfunction following orthotopic cardiac transplantation?
This case report demonstrates the feasibility of left bundle branch pacing in a post-transplant heart, showing stable pacing parameters and recovery of left ventricular ejection fraction from 45% to 60%.
LBBP may be feasible post-transplant with AV block; extends sparse case reports but leaves open its role versus standard pacing.
Left bundle branch pacing (LBBP) is increasingly used as a physiological alternative to right ventricular pacing, with stable thresholds and synchronized left ventricular activation. Its use in a transplanted heart is rarely described, and data on conduction system pacing in this setting is limited. We describe a 38-year-old woman who developed complete atrioventricular dissociation with a wide, LBBB-morphology escape rhythm immediately after orthotopic cardiac transplantation performed for peripartum cardiomyopathy with biventricular dysfunction. Baseline echocardiography showed global LV hypokinesia with an ejection fraction of 45%. Given high-grade AV block with LV dysfunction, we implanted a left bundle branch optimized dual-chamber pacemaker. The paced QRS showed a right bundle branch delay pattern with left axis deviation, in keeping with left posterior fascicular capture, and thresholds remained low and stable at follow-up. The patient has done well since, with a ventricular pacing burden of 100%, no device-related complications, and recovery of LV ejection fraction from 45% to 60% on serial echocardiography. As far as we are aware, this is the first reported instance of left bundle branch pacing in a post-transplant heart. The case suggests that LBBP is feasible in the transplanted heart and may support recovery of LV function even when the heart is denervated, though longer follow-up and further cases will be needed to confirm this. Written informed consent was obtained from the patient for publication of this report and the accompanying images.
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Thomas et al. (2026) conducted a case report in Complete atrioventricular dissociation and mild left ventricular dysfunction after orthotopic cardiac transplantation (n=1). Left bundle branch optimized dual-chamber pacemaker was evaluated on Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) recovery and pacing threshold stability. Left bundle branch pacing in a post-transplant heart achieved 100% ventricular pacing with stable thresholds and improved LVEF from 45% to 60% without complications.
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