Noninvasive assessment of cardiac conduction velocity using telemetric pacemakers and two ventricular electrodes

Intramyocardial electrograms were recorded noninvasively in 20 heart transplants using telemetric pacemakers and two epimyocardial leads, located at two different ventricular positions. One electrode was used to stimulate and the other electrode was used to sense the electrical activity of the heart and vice versa. Linear regression analysis of the time from the stimulus to the steepest negative slope of the electrograms revealed increasing values with increasing anatomical distance and a symmetrical behavior with respect to the two leads. This indicates the close relationship of this parameter to ventricular conduction velocity.