Background: Ventricular pace mapping is performed by comparing the QRS morphology of ventricular paced complexes to that of a template arrhythmia, either a premature ventricular depolarization or a QRS complex during ventricular tachycardia. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of coupling interval and pacing cycle length on QRS morphology.
Methods and results: The study population consisted of 20 patients (mean age, 38 +/- 16 years) undergoing a clinically indicated electrophysiology procedure. In the first 10 patients, the effect of coupling interval on the morphology of single paced ventricular complexes was evaluated visually and by signal processing techniques. Visually apparent differences in QRS morphology occurred in a mean of 4/12 electrocardiographic leads with a change in coupling interval of > or = 100 ms. In the next 10 patients, the QRS complex morphology during ventricular overdrive pacing at cycle lengths of 600 and 300 ms was found to differ significantly in a mean of 4/12 leads. The QRS morphology during overdrive pacing differed significantly from that of a single paced complex whenever the pacing cycle length differed from the coupling interval of the single paced complex by > 80 ms.
Conclusions: The morphology of single paced QRS complexes may vary, depending on coupling interval, and the QRS morphology during overdrive pacing is affected by the pacing cycle length. During ventricular pace mapping, the coupling interval or cycle length of the template arrhythmia should be matched during pacing. If not, rate-dependent changes in QRS morphology that are independent of the pacing site may confound the results of pace mapping.