Triangle ventricular pacing in a non-responder to conventional bi-ventricular pacing

Europace. 2008 Apr;10(4):502-4. doi: 10.1093/europace/eun026. Epub 2008 Feb 13.

Abstract

A 56-year-old man with cardiomyopathy secondary to myotonic dystrophy and complete atrioventricular block presented to our institution. A cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) device (InSync 8040, Medtronic, Inc., Minneapolis, MN, USA) was implanted by a conventional bi-ventricular pacing (Bi-V) technique. However, the patient's NYHA class did not improve from class IV despite optimized medical therapy. One month after the CRT device implantation, we altered the pacing configuration from that of Bi-V to 'triangle ventricular pacing' (Tri-V), i.e. conventional Bi-V from the right ventricular (RV) apex and left ventricle plus additional pacing from the RV outflow tract, using a Y connector to bifurcate the RV bipolar output of the device into an anode and a cathode. In both the acute and 3 month follow-up studies, objective parameters revealed better resynchronization effects with Tri-V, and the patient's NYHA class immediately improved to class II. Triangle ventricular pacing may have the potential to decrease the number of non-responders to CRT.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Atrioventricular Block / complications
  • Atrioventricular Block / physiopathology
  • Atrioventricular Block / therapy*
  • Cardiac Pacing, Artificial / methods*
  • Cardiomyopathies / etiology
  • Cardiomyopathies / physiopathology
  • Cardiomyopathies / therapy*
  • Heart Ventricles / physiopathology*
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Pacemaker, Artificial