02 February 2018 : Case report
A Patient with Left Bundle Branch Block and Persistent Atrial Fibrillation Treated with Cardiac Catheter Ablation and Pharmacologic Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy without the Use of an Implantable Cardiac Device
Unusual or unexpected effect of treatment, Rare coexistence of disease or pathology
Hideyuki Hasebe1ABCDE*DOI: 10.12659/AJCR.907268
Am J Case Rep 2018; 19:123-127
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Left bundle branch block (LBBB) is associated with atrial fibrillation (AF) and systolic heart failure, which can be treated with cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) that includes an implantable cardiac device (ICD). However, in some patients, LBBB may vary with heart rate, and during episodes of AF in LBBB, aberrant ventricular conduction, or wide QRS complex tachycardia (Ashman beats) can occur. This report is a case of LBBB treated with pharmacologic CRT, without the use of an ICD.
CASE REPORT: A 68-year-old man presented with persistent AF and systolic heart failure. Serial electrocardiograms (ECGs) showed AF and mixed narrow (116 ms) and wide (152 ms) QRS duration of LBBB. Echocardiography showed a left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) of 30%. Catheter ablation for AF resulted in the restoration of sinus rhythm. The patient was treated with step-wise decreasing doses of amiodarone, from 200 mg to 75 mg daily, and step-wise increasing doses of bisoprolol, from 3.75 mg to 5.0 mg daily, which effectively slowed heart rate, inhibited aberrant cardiac conduction due to LBBB, reduced the symptoms of heart failure, and improved LVEF to 60%, despite persistent sinus bradycardia and the inability of the heart rate to increase during activity (chronotropic incompetence).
CONCLUSIONS: This report of a case of AF associated with LBBB shows that pharmacologic CRT can restore sinus rhythm following catheter ablation and can reduce heart rate and treat heart failure without the use of an ICD.
Keywords: Atrial Fibrillation, cardiac resynchronization therapy
In Press
12 Feb 2024 : Case report
Erdheim-Chester Disease Occult on Radiographs and CT but Visible on MRI and PETAm J Case Rep In Press; DOI: 10.12659/AJCR.941169
12 Feb 2024 : Case report
Surgical Treatment of Spontaneous Superficial Temporal Artery Arteriovenous Malformation: A Case ReportAm J Case Rep In Press; DOI: 10.12659/AJCR.942839
13 Feb 2024 : Case report
Warfarin Woes: A Rare Case of Hemoperitoneum with Intramural Small Bowel HematomaAm J Case Rep In Press; DOI: 10.12659/AJCR.943519
13 Feb 2024 : Case report
Hemorrhagic Presentation in Primary Central Nervous System Lymphoma: A Case StudyAm J Case Rep In Press; DOI: 10.12659/AJCR.942951
Most Viewed Current Articles
07 Mar 2024 : Case report
Neurocysticercosis Presenting as Migraine in the United StatesDOI :10.12659/AJCR.943133
Am J Case Rep 2024; 25:e943133
10 Jan 2022 : Case report
A Report on the First 7 Sequential Patients Treated Within the C-Reactive Protein Apheresis in COVID (CACOV...DOI :10.12659/AJCR.935263
Am J Case Rep 2022; 23:e935263
19 Jul 2022 : Case report
Atlantoaxial Subluxation Secondary to SARS-CoV-2 Infection: A Rare Orthopedic Complication from COVID-19DOI :10.12659/AJCR.936128
Am J Case Rep 2022; 23:e936128
23 Feb 2022 : Case report
Penile Necrosis Associated with Local Intravenous Injection of CocaineDOI :10.12659/AJCR.935250
Am J Case Rep 2022; 23:e935250