Biventricular Pacing in Children After Surgery for Congenital Heart Disease

In adults with heart failure with intrinsic or iatrogenic left bundle branch block (eg, RV pacing), and more recently in those with narrow QRS complex, pacing the heart with advanced pacing techniques from both the left and right ventricle (LV, RV) termed cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) improves resting systolic heart function and mechanoenergetics.1 In these patients, CRT has been shown to increase LV stroke volume, ejection fraction, and stroke work, resulting in an enhancement of LV myocardial efficiency, without an increase in oxidative metabolism and even a decrease in energy utilization.2-4 Furthermore, oxygen consumption seems to be distributed more homogeneously during CRT.2 Beyond increasing resting myocardial efficiency, CRT may increase metabolic reserve as judged by the increase in cardiac work in response to dobutamine.5 CRT has also been shown to restore homogeneous myocardial glucose metabolism, without a decrease in myocardial perfusion.6 These findings were mirrored by similar findings regarding the effects of CRT on myocardial perfusion. Resting myocardial blood perfusion was unaltered by CRT despite an increase in left ventricular function. However, the distribution pattern of resting myocardial blood perfusion became more homogeneous, while hyperemic myocardial blood perfusion and myocardial blood perfusion reserve were enhanced by CRT.7 In the long-term, CRT improves morbidity and mortality in adults with heart failure.8, 9

Children have myocardial dysfunction and possibly mechanical dyssynchrony following cardiopulmonary bypass and cardiac surgery. A significant number of children with congenital heart disease have either interventricular conduction delay or right bundle branch block (RBBB). For example, RBBB may occur in patients after ventricular septal defect repair. Others children may develop iatrogenic bundle branch block while requiring ventricular pacing for rate control, hemodynamic improvement or atrioventricular block. When postoperative pacing is indicated, the current method used is to sense or pace the right atrium, depending on the indication, and to pace the right ventricle (univentricular pacing). However, conventional RV univentricular pacing may increase myocardial stress and oxygen utilization through inhomogeneous contraction,10 while long-term right ventricular (univentricular) pacing has been shown in some patients to have detrimental effects on left ventricular remodeling, left ventricular function and clinical outcomes.11-13 Beyond the potential for pacing related myocardial stress and oxygen consumption, the post-operative care of children with congenital heart disease necessitates the use of potent inotropic agents at the expense of increased myocardial oxygen consumption, unwanted effects in the vulnerable post-bypass myocardium.14-16 Preliminary data in children with congenital heart disease undergoing surgical repair have shown acute benefits of CRT as manifested by increased systolic blood pressure and improved cardiac output associated with a reduced QRS duration. These beneficial effects were obtained in children with both single and dual ventricular physiology.17-20 Pham et al showed improvement in cardiac index with biventricular pacing in children after heart surgery, but not with conventional atrioventricular pacing, suggesting that in patients needing pacing in the postoperative period, biventricular pacing is better than conventional pacing, a conclusion previously reached in adults in the setting of cardiomyopathy.21-23 Despite these beneficial immediate hemodynamic effects, and despite preliminary data on the beneficial effects of CRT in children with congenital heart disease,24-26 it is not known whether a longer period of biventricular pacing in the post-operative period following surgery for congenital heart disease is beneficial and whether this intervention can lead to improved clinical outcomes such as reduction of the use of inotropes, time to extubation and length of admission to the critical care unit. To answer these questions, a prospective, randomized trial is needed. The current study would serve as a pilot study for a larger trial in the event of encouraging results.

Hypothesis

Biventricular pacing improves recovery after cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass in children with congenital heart disease.

Objectives

Study the effects of biventricular pacing on post-operative hemodynamics and clinical outcomes in children after surgery for congenital heart disease.

Design

Randomized, non-blinded, clinical intervention.

Inclusion criteria

• < 4 months of age at time of surgery
• Surgery for congenital heart disease requiring cardiopulmonary bypass
• Reparative surgery to achieve biventricular cardiac physiology.
• Sinus rhythm.

Exclusion criteria

• Isolated atrial septal defect repair.
• Surgery without cardiopulmonary bypass.
• Palliative surgery.
• Single ventricle physiology.
• Age > 4 months at time of surgery
• Clinical indication for pacing (e.g. iatrogenic heart block)
• Arrhythmia
• Second or third degree heart block.
• Patient with known bleeding disorder
• Patient requires ECMO in operating room (eg. unable to wean from cardio-pulmonary bypass or hemodynamic/ respiratory instability that requires ECMO in OR). These patients return from the OR to the ICU on ECMO.