Pseudosimultaneous fast and slow pathway conduction: a common electrophysiologic finding in patients with dual atrioventricular nodal pathways

Abstract

Two ventricular responses following termination of rapid atrial pacing were noted in 24 of 87 patients with dual atrioventricular (AV) nodal pathways and supraventricular tachycardia. In all 24 patients, the AH intervals of the first and second ventricular responses were comparable with those of the fast and slow pathways, respectively. Careful analysis of the whole pacing sequence revealed that, in 21 patients, this phenomenon resulted from sustained slow pathway conduction with long AH intervals. In these patients, as the AH interval of each paced beat was progressively lengthened during pacing, the corresponding His bundle and ventricular responses were pushed one cycle behind the current atrial paced beat, so that the last paced beat was followed by two His bundle and ventricular responses. In only three patients did double ventricular responses result from simultaneous fast and slow pathway conduction. One of these three patients also showed two ventricular responses resulting from sustained slow pathway conduction. Several factors predispose to the occurrence of this phenomenon in patients with dual AV nodal pathways. These include an ability to sustain slow pathway conduction, a longer slow pathway AH interval, a shorter sinus AH interval (fast pathway) and a shorter atrial paced cycle length that sustains slow pathway conduction. In conclusion, sustained slow pathway conduction with resultant long AH intervals is the mechanism of two ventricular responses following termination of atrial pacing in most patients with dual AV nodal pathways. This phenomenon should be distinguished from the rare occurrence of double ventricular responses to an atrial impulse due to simultaneous fast and slow pathway conduction.