Effects of right ventricular septum or His-bundle pacing versus right ventricular apical pacing on cardiac function: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

OBJECTIVE: Recent studies have demonstrated that right ventricular apical (RVA) pacing has a deleterious impact on left ventricular function, while right ventricular septum (RVS) or His-bundle pacing (HBP) contribute to improvements in cardiac function. A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) was conducted to compare the mid- and long-term effects of RVS and HB pacing versus RVA pacing on cardiac function. METHODS: Eligible RCTs were identified by systematically searching the electronic literature databases PubMed®, Cochrane Library, Embase® and Ovid®. RESULTS: Seventeen articles (n = 1290 patients) were included in this meta-analysis, including 14 studies comparing the effects of RVA and RVS pacing on cardiac function and three studies comparing HBP with pacing at other sites. Compared with RVA pacing, RVS or HBP exhibited a higher left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) (weighted mean difference 3.28; 95% confidence interval 1.45, 5.12) at the end of follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: RVS pacing exhibited a higher LVEF after long-term follow-up than RVA pacing. RVS pacing could replace the previously used RVA pacing as a better alternative with improved clinical outcomes. However, there remains a need for larger RCTs to compare the safety and efficacy of RVS with RVA pacing.