The evolution of conduction system pacing and gaps in understanding

The field of cardiac pacing has changed dramatically since the first pacemakers were implanted in the 1950s.¹ Over the ensuing decades, advancements in pacing technology have yielded longer battery life, smaller devices, sturdier leads, and more sophisticated pacemaker programming. Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) represented a significant revolution in pacing approach, with the goal of correcting interventricular dyssynchrony through biventricular pacing. More recently, conduction system pacing (CSP) has emerged as a means to deliver even more physiological activation through direct engagement of the conduction system. The enthusiasm for CSP, driven primarily by investigator-initiated studies, has led to a rapid evolution in our understanding of conduction system physiology and represents a contemporary paradigm shift in our approach to treating patients with bradyarrhythmias and heart failure. The goal of this review is to provide a brief overview of the progression of CSP over time and to highlight key gaps in our understanding that need to be resolved prior to moving forward (Graphical Abstract).