A novel pacing maneuver to verify the postpacing interval minus the tachycardia cycle length while adjusting for decremental conduction: Using "dual-chamber entrainment" for improved supraventricular tachycardia discrimination

Heart Rhythm. 2019 May;16(5):717-723. doi: 10.1016/j.hrthm.2018.11.021. Epub 2018 Nov 20.

Abstract

Background: The postpacing interval (PPI) minus the tachycardia cycle length (TCL) is frequently used to investigate tachycardias. However, a variety of issues (eg, failure to entrain, decremental conduction, and oscillating TCLs) can make interpretation of the PPI-TCL challenging.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate a novel maneuver to confirm the PPI-TCL value without using either the ventricular PPI or the TCL interval and to assess the ability of this maneuver to identify decremental conduction and differentiate supraventricular tachycardias.

Methods: We analyzed 77 intracardiac recordings from patients (age 25 ± 20 years; 40 female) who underwent catheter ablation of atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia (AVNRT) or orthodromic reciprocating tachycardia (ORT) with a concealed pathway. We calculated the PPI-TCL, the AH-corrected PPI-TCL, and estimated the PPI-TCL using "dual-chamber entrainment" calculated as [PPIV - TCL = Stim(A→V) + Stim(V→A) - PPIA].

Results: The PPI-TCL calculated by dual-chamber entrainment highly correlated with the observed and AH-corrected PPI-TCL (R2 = 0.79 and 0.96, respectively; P <.001]. A dual-chamber entrainment PPI-TCL value of 80 ms correctly differentiated all AVNRT from septal ORT cases, whereas the standard PPI-TCL and AH-corrected PPI-TCL methods were incorrect in 14% and 6% of cases, respectively. Dual-chamber entrainment identified 3 ± 10 ms of additional decremental conduction beyond AH prolongation, including 4 pathways with significant (>10 ms) decrement.

Conclusion: Dual-chamber entrainment estimates the PPI-TCL value without using either the ventricular PPI or the TCL interval. This maneuver adjusts for all decremental conduction, including within concealed pathways, where a dual-chamber entrainment PPI-TCL value >80 ms favors AVNRT over ORT. This maneuver can be used to verify the observed PPI-TCL value in challenging cases.

Keywords: Catheter ablation; Decremental conduction; Electrophysiological study; Entrainment mapping; Supraventricular tachycardia.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Catheter Ablation / methods*
  • Diagnosis, Differential
  • Dimensional Measurement Accuracy
  • Electrophysiologic Techniques, Cardiac / methods*
  • Female
  • Heart Conduction System* / physiopathology
  • Heart Conduction System* / surgery
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Tachycardia, Atrioventricular Nodal Reentry* / diagnosis
  • Tachycardia, Atrioventricular Nodal Reentry* / physiopathology
  • Tachycardia, Reciprocating* / diagnosis
  • Tachycardia, Reciprocating* / physiopathology
  • Tachycardia, Supraventricular / diagnosis*