Abstract
BACKGROUND: Left bundle branch block (LBBB) and left ventricular (LV) dyssynchrony likely contribute to progressive systolic dysfunction. The evaluation of newly recognized LBBB includes screening for structural heart abnormalities and coronary artery disease (CAD). In patients whose LV ejection fraction (EF) is preserved during initial testing, the incidence of subsequent cardiomyopathy is not firmly established. HYPOTHESIS: The risk of developing LV systolic dysfunction among LBBB patients with preserved LVEF is high enough to warrant serial imaging. METHODS: We screened records of 1000 consecutive patients with LBBB from our ECG database and identified subjects with an initially preserved LVEF (≥45%) without clinically relevant CAD or other cause for cardiomyopathy. Baseline imaging, clinical data, and follow-up imaging were recorded to determine the risk of subsequent LV systolic dysfunction (LVEF ≤40%). RESULTS: (Data are mean + SD) 784 subjects were excluded, the majority for CAD or depressed LVEF upon initial imaging. Of the remaining 216, 37 (17%) developed a decline in LVEF(≤40%) over a mean follow-up of 55 ± 31 months; 94% of these patients had a baseline LVEF≤60% and LV end systolic diameter (ESD) ≥ 2.9 cm indicating that these measures may be useful to define which patients warrant longitudinal follow-up. The negative predictive value of a LVEF>60% and LVESD <2.9 cm was 98%. CONCLUSIONS: Seventeen percent of patients with LBBB and initial preserved LVEF develop dyssynchrony cardiomyopathy. We believe the risk of developing dyssynchrony cardiomyopathy is high enough to warrant serial assessment of LV systolic function in this high-risk population.