Does right ventricular apex pacing lead to left ventricular dysfunction in children with congenital complete atrioventricular block?
Right ventricular pacing remains an acceptable first-line therapy in children with congenital complete AV block due to the low incidence of long-term cardiac dysfunction.
Left ventricular dysfunction in patients with congenital complete atrioventricular block is a rare finding, even in those who have been paced for more than 10 years. Right ventricular apex pacing and prolonged QRS duration may be associated with decreased ventricular function over time. At this time, with such a low incidence of cardiac dysfunction, right ventricular pacing should be considered an acceptable first-line therapy in this population.
Kim et al. (Wed,) studied this question.