Scientific Publications by FDA Staff

J Electrocardiol 2015 Jul-Aug;48(4):637-42

Influence of QRS infarct score and QRS duration prior to transcatheter aortic valve replacement on follow-up left ventricular end systolic volume in patients with new persistent left bundle branch block.

Hannink LG, Wagner GS, Kisslo J, Alenezi FA, Shaw LK, Hofmann P, Zusterzeel R, Phelan M, Velazquez EJ, Gorgels AP

BACKGROUND: New-onset left bundle branch block (LBBB) is a known complication during Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR). This study evaluated the influence of pre-TAVR cardiac conditions on left ventricular functions in patients with new persistent LBBB post-TAVR. METHODS: Only 11 patients qualified for this study because of the strict inclusion criteria. Pre-TAVR electrocardiograms were evaluated for Selvester QRS infarct score and QRS duration, and left ventricular end-systolic volume (LVESV) was used as outcome variable. RESULTS: There was a trend towards a positive correlation between QRS score and LVESV of r=0.59 (p=0.058), while there was no relationship between QRS duration and LVESV (r=-0.18 [p=0.59]). CONCLUSION: This study showed that patients with new LBBB and higher pre-TAVR QRS infarct score may have worse post-TAVR left ventricular function, however, pre-TAVR QRS duration has no such predictive value. Because of the small sample size these results should be interpreted with caution and assessed in a larger study population.