Arrhythmias & electrophysiologyCohort study
Implantation of standard defibrillator leads in the left bundle branch area: Experience from an international cohort
- Retrospective
- 12 international centers
Authors' conclusion
LBBAD with standard stylet-driven lead is safe and feasible, with stable electrical, electrocardiographic, and echocardiographic parameters at midterm follow-up.
Study context
- Population
- Implantable cardioverter-defibrillator patients undergoing left bundle branch area defibrillation (LBBAD) implantationpatients included
- Participants
- 163 patients
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Implantation success rate
Implantation success rate
88%
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Defibrillation testing
- Defibrillation testing performed, effective in all cases
- 85 patients
Paced electrocardiographic parameters
ms
- Paced unipolar QRS duration
- 125 (119-135)
- V6 R-wave peak time
- 76 (70-85)
- V6-V1 interpeak interval
- 44 (45-54)
Electrical parameters
- Capture threshold
- 0.8 V/0.4 ms (0.5-1.1)
- Sensing amplitude
- 9.0 mV (6.2-12)
- Pacing impedance
- 580 Ω (493-650)
- High-voltage impedance
- 66 Ω (60-75)
- Electrical parameters remained favorable over follow-up
- 8 months (3-13)
Left ventricular ejection fraction · last follow-up
- Baseline
- 30% (26%-35%)
- Last follow-up
- 36% (31%-46%)
- P < .001
Appropriate and effective shocks
- Appropriate and effective shocks
- 13
- Patients affected
- 8 patients (4.9%)
- No ineffective shocks were reported
Safety
Lead explantation · more than 1 year after implantation
- LBBAD leads explanted without any complication
- 2
Deaths related to LBBAD
- No deaths were related to LBBAD
Original publication
Implantation of standard defibrillator leads in the left bundle branch area: Experience from an international cohort. Heart Rhythm. Published 23 March 2026. doi:10.1016/j.hrthm.2026.03.1903
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it