Impact of Right Ventricular Pacing on Right Ventricular Function
Pornwalee Porapakkham MD*, Pramote Porapakkham MD**, Jarin Assavahanrit MD*, Boonchai Kijsanayotin MD, PhD***, Keith Wing Shing MD****
Affiliation : * Cardiology and intervention department, Central Chest Institute of Thailand, Bangkok, Thailand ** Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Central Chest Institute of Thailand, Bangkok, Thailand *** Research manager, Health Systems Research Institute, Ministry of Public Health, Nonthaburi, Thailand **** Clinical teacher, Melbourne University, Melbourne, Australia
Background : The benefits of right ventricular pacing in patients with symptomatic bradycardia are well recognized. Currently,
left ventricular (LV) function after cardiac pacing has already been extensively investigated. However, existing data on right
ventricular (RV) function in these patients is extremely limited.
Material and Method: To test this, records of RV and tricuspid valve function of patients with a pacemaker measured at least
a year after implantation were reviewed for a prevalence of RV dysfunction. The patients were also divided into those with and
without RV dysfunction. Factors affecting the two groups were evaluated.
Results : RV dysfunction and moderate to severe tricuspid valve regurgitation were found in approximately 4% and 21%
respectively in cardiac pacing patients with mean implantation duration of 6.4 years. Compared to normal RV function,
factors presumed to affect on RV dysfunction including site of pacing, pacing mode and percentage of ventricular pacing were
not significantly different (p = 0.54, 0.37 and 0.12 respectively).
Conclusion : Based on these data, the prevalence of right ventricular dysfunction appears to be infrequent and factors that
were assumed as contributors to LV dysfunction failed to show significant contributions to RV dysfunction.
Keywords : Right ventricular pacing, Right ventricular dysfunction, Tricuspid valve regurgitation
