LBBB and heart failure—Relationships among QRS amplitude, duration, height, LV mass, and sex

Abstract

Background: Height, left ventricular (LV) size, and sex were proposed as additional criteria for patient selection for cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) but their connections with the QRS complex in left bundle branch block (LBBB) are little investigated. We evaluated these. Methods: Among patients with “true” LBBB, QRS duration (QRSd) and amplitude, and LV hypertrophy indices, were correlated with patient's height and LV mass, and compared between sexes. Results: In this study cohort (n = 220; 60 ± 12 years; left ventricular ejection fraction [LVEF] 21 ± 7%; mostly New York Heart Association II–III, QRSd 165 ± 19 ms; 57% female; 70% responders [LVEF increased ≥5%]), LV mass was increased in all patients. QRS amplitude did not correlate with LV mass or height in any individual lead or with Sokolow-Lyon or Cornell-Lyon indices. QRSd did not correlate with height. In contrast, QRSd correlated strongly with LV mass (r =.51). CRT response rate was greater in women versus men (84% vs. 58%, p