Management of bradycardia and cardiac conduction delay : 2018 Guideline

American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force has released its 2018 Guideline on Management of Bradycardia and Cardiac Conduction Delay.Clinical practice guidelines provide recommendations applicable to patients with or at risk of developing cardiovascular disease. The guideline has appeared in HeartRhythm.

Key Recommendations :

• Sinus node dysfunction is most often related to age-dependent progressive fibrosis of the sinus nodal tissue and surrounding atrial myocardium leading to abnormalities of sinus node and atrial impulse formation and propagation and will therefore result in various bradycardic or pause-related syndromes.


• Both sleep disorders of breathing and nocturnal bradycardias are relatively common, and treatment of sleep apnea not only reduces the frequency of these arrhythmias but also may offer cardiovascular benefits. The presence of nocturnal bradycardias should prompt consideration for screening for sleep apnea, beginning with solicitation of suspicious symptoms. However, nocturnal bradycardia is not in itself an indication for permanent pacing.


• The presence of left bundle branch block on electrocardiogram markedly increases the likelihood of underlying structural heart disease and of diagnosing left ventricular systolic dysfunction. Echocardiography is usually the most appropriate initial screening test for structural heart disease, including left ventricular systolic dysfunction.


• In sinus node dysfunction, there is no established minimum heart rate or pause duration where permanent pacing is recommended. Establishing temporal correlation between symptoms and bradycardia is important when determining whether permanent pacing is needed.


• In patients with acquired second-degree Mobitz type II atrioventricular block, high-grade atrioventricular block, or third-degree atrioventricular block not caused by reversible or physiologic causes, permanent pacing is recommended regardless of symptoms. For all other types of atrioventricular block, in the absence of conditions associated with progressive atrioventricular conduction abnormalities, permanent pacing should generally be considered only in the presence of symptoms that correlate with atrioventricular block.


• In patients with a left ventricular ejection fraction between 36% to 50% and atrioventricular block, who have an indication for permanent pacing and are expected to require ventricular pacing >40% of the time, techniques that provide more physiologic ventricular activation (e.g., cardiac resynchronization therapy, His bundle pacing) are preferred to right ventricular pacing to prevent heart failure.


• Because conduction system abnormalities are common after transcatheter aortic valve replacement, recommendations on postprocedure surveillance and pacemaker implantation are made in this guideline.


• In patients with bradycardia who have indications for pacemaker implantation, shared decision-making and patient-centered care are endorsed and emphasized in this guideline. Treatment decisions are based on the best available evidence and on the patient’s goals of care and preferences.


• Using the principles of shared decision-making and informed consent/refusal, patients with decision-making capacity or his/her legally defined surrogate has the right to refuse or request withdrawal of pacemaker therapy, even if the patient is pacemaker dependent, which should be considered palliative, end-of-life care, and not physician-assisted suicide. However, any decision is complex, should involve all stakeholders, and will always be patient specific.


• Identifying patient populations that will benefit the most from emerging pacing technologies (e.g., His bundle pacing, transcatheter leadless pacing systems) will require further investigation as these modalities are incorporated into clinical practice.

For further reference log on to :

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hrthm.2018.10.036