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Forward10th Annual Physiology Pacing Symposium
Chicago, IL US
November 6, 2026
Advances in conduction system pacing (CSP) are transforming clinical electrophysiology, providing new opportunities for bradycardia and heart failure patients to benefit from physiologic, targeted therapies. Contemporary CSP techniques, including left bundle branch pacing (LBBP), left bundle branch area pacing (LBBAP), and left ventricular septal pacing (LVSP) enable more effective ventricular activation and resynchronization, reducing the limitations of traditional right ventricular pacing and enhancing outcomes in patients with atrioventricular block, atrial fibrillation, and heart failure. These innovations are complemented by emerging technologies such as advanced imaging modalities, leadless pacing, and multisite strategies, which expand the therapeutic options and improve procedural safety.
The University of Chicago Medicine Heart and Vascular Center will host a live and streaming CME symposium, convening nationally and internationally renowned faculty and participants on November 6, 2026. The central goal is to create an engaged learning network of electrophysiologists, general cardiologists, and fellows, fostering multidisciplinary collaboration and dissemination of best practices in conduction system pacing and device therapies for heart failure. Through expert-led didactics, panel discussions, and interactive case reviews, attendees will gain practical strategies to optimize patient selection, implantation techniques, and post-implant management for CSP and cardiac resynchronization therapy.
Target Audience
This educational activity is designed for health professionals in the field of electrophysiology, as well as fellows in training for clinical electrophysiology.
Learning Objectives
At the conclusion of this activity, participants will be able to:
- Evaluate contemporary approaches to conduction system pacing (CSP) for bradycardia and heart failure patients, including its role relative to right ventricular pacing and cardiac resynchronization therapy.
- Differentiate left bundle branch pacing (LBBP), left bundle branch area pacing (LBBAP), and left ventricular septal pacing (LVSP) and identify methods to confirm conduction system capture using ECG criteria, intracardiac mapping, and emerging noninvasive technologies.
- Describe implantation strategies for CSP, including lead selection, septal targeting techniques, and the role of advanced imaging modalities such as CT, MRI, and intracardiac echocardiography.
- Apply evidence from emerging clinical trials and registries evaluating CSP in patients with atrioventricular block, atrial fibrillation, and heart failure.
- Integrate CSP and device-based therapies into the management of heart failure, including considerations for selecting CSP versus biventricular pacing in patients undergoing cardiac resynchronization therapy as well as evaluating innovative new therapies in the treatment of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF).
- Explain the electrophysiologic and mechanical relationships between pacing site, ventricular activation patterns, and myocardial contraction, including implications for cardiac memory and CRT optimization.
- Recognize emerging pacing strategies and technologies, including leadless conduction system pacing, Bachmann bundle pacing, and pacing-based approaches for HFpEF and hypertension.
- Review contemporary device and lead selection strategies, including lumenless and stylet-driven systems, and the evolving role of leadless technologies.
- Identify procedural challenges and complications associated with CSP implantation, and apply troubleshooting strategies including extraction considerations.
- Implement post-implant management strategies, including cloud-basd remote monitoring, follow-up optimization, and multidisciplinary collaboration in device planning for complex heart failure patients, including collaborating with peers in Heart Failure to consider pacing along with other approaches such as cardiac contractility modulation (CCM), barostimulation activation therapy (BAT)
- To discuss innovative new pacing therapies to treat related conductions including atrioventricular interval modulation (AVIM) to treat hypertension
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| Time | Session | Faculty |
|---|---|---|
| Session I: Conduction System Pacing (CSP) in 2026 — How Best to Identify Capture? | ||
| 7:30 AM | Determining LBBP vs. LVSP at Implant — The ECG is the Answer | Marek Jastrzébski, MD |
| 7:45 AM | Understanding Limitations of the ECG — Septal Mapping is the Answer | Roderick Tung, MD |
| 8:00 AM | Differentiating Forms of LBBAP with Mapping — High Density Maps are the Answer | Zachary Whinnett, MD |
| 8:15 AM | Assessing Paced Morphology with UHF-ECG — Noninvasive Maps are the Answer | Karol Čurila, MD |
| 8:30 AM | Assessing CSP Means Understanding Hierarchical Pacing — The CT Scan is the Answer | Ajay Pillai, MD |
| 8:45 AM | Panel Discussion: “Is there a preferred approach to LBBAP assessment? Does it matter?” | Chairs: Kenneth Ellenbogen, MD and Jacqueline Joza, MD |
| Session II: How to Select Devices in Bradycardia Patients? | ||
| 9:00 AM | LBBAP versus RVP in AV Block with Normal EF — CSP in China and Perspectives from the LEAP-Block Study | Xiaohan Fan, MD, PhD |
| 9:10 AM | LVSP versus LBBAP versus RVP for AV Block — Planning and Early Perspectives from the Maastricht LEAP Study | Kevin Vernooy, MD, PhD |
| 9:20 AM | AF Ablation versus AVN Ablation and CSP — Treating “Irregulopathy” and Early Perspectives from ABACUS | Haran Burri, MD |
| 9:30 AM | Choosing the Right Lead — Lumenless or Stylet-Driven | Suneet Mittal, MD |
| 9:40 AM | Choosing the Right Device — Leadless Pacing versus CSP | Mikhael El-Chami, MD |
| 9:50 AM | Leadless LBBAP and the Future | Devi Nair, MD |
| 10:00 AM | Panel Discussion: “How best to choose the right device and technique for the AF patient.” | Chairs: Mina Chung, MD and Gaurav Upadhya, MD |
| 10:15 – 10:30 AM | Break | |
| Session III: How to Plan and Perform the CSP Implant? | ||
| 10:30 AM | Knowing What I Know Now: How to Target LBBAP and Distal HBP | Weijian Huang, MD |
| 10:40 AM | Using Advanced Imaging (MRI, CT, and Intracardiac Echocardiography) to Perform CSP Implants | Pugal Vijayaraman, MD |
| 10:50 AM | The Cheesy Septum, the Fibrotic Septum, and Others: Tips & Tricks for Challenging Implants | SS (Shunmuga Sundaram) Ponnusamy, MD, DM |
| 11:00 AM | CSP Post-Implant Care and Remote Follow-Up: What I Do for Every Patient | Parikh Sharma, MD |
| 11:10 AM | Panel Discussion: “When to escalate CSP, what do you choose, and how to do it?” | Chairs: Gopi Dandamudi, MD and Devi Nair, MD |
| 11:20 AM | Live Case and Continuation of Panel | University of Chicago: Srinath Yeshwant, MD & Jeremy Treger, MD, PhD |
| 12:00 – 1:00 PM | Lunch | |
| 12:15 PM | Non-CME Lunch Sponsored by Boston Scientific: Bachmann Bundle Pacing with Stylet Driven Leads; Management of Complex Atrial Fibrillation — PVI or Pace and Ablate with CSP | Daniel Lustgarten, MD; Daniel Friedman, MD |
| Session IV: How to Select Devices in HF Patients? | ||
| 1:00 PM | LBBP or LVSP for CRT: Using V8 to Guide the CRT Implant | Kevin Vernooy, MD, PhD |
| 1:10 PM | Using the EP Study to Guide Personalized Care for the CRT Patient | Margarida Pujol-Lopez, MD |
| 1:20 PM | How to Choose CSP versus BiV in the RBBB Patient: Early Insights from His-CRT | Valentina Kutyifa, MD, PhD |
| 1:30 PM | New ICD Leads and CRT Planning: How I Approach the HF Patient | Jacqueline Joza, MD |
| 1:40 PM | How Understanding Cardiac Memory Can Guide CSP for CRT and LOT-CRT | Bengt Herweg, MD |
| 1:50 PM | Limitations of the Surface ECG: Lessons Learned from the CONSPIRE Registry | Gaurav Upadhyay, MD |
| 2:00 PM | Panel Discussion: “How do you plan CRT in 2026?” | Chairs: Michael Gold, MD, PhD and Roderick Tung, MD |
| Session V: New Frontiers in Pacing | ||
| 2:15 PM | Pacing for HFpEF is the New Frontier — MyPace and Beyond | Maggie Infeld, MD |
| 2:25 PM | Bachmann Bundle Pacing — Tips, Tricks, and Can We Do It Leadlessly? | Brett Atwater, MD |
| 2:35 PM | Cardiac Contractility Modulation — Early Insights from Integra-D | Niraj Varma, MD, PhD |
| 2:45 PM | Barostimulation Activation Therapy and the Frontier for Neuromodulation in HF | Jagmeet Singh, MD, PhD |
| 2:55 PM | Atrioventricular Interval Modulation (AVIM) Therapy for the Treatment of Hypertensive Heart Disease | Marek Jastrzébski, MD |
| 3:05 PM | CSP for Congenital Heart Disease Patients | Óscar Cano, MD, PhD |
| 3:15 – 3:30 PM | Heart Failure Round Table: “When and how to engage the HF team in device planning and selection.” | Chairs: Nikhil Narang, MD and Jag Singh, MD, PhD |
| 3:30 – 3:45 PM | Break | |
| Session VI: The Real World: Troubleshooting & Trials Update | ||
| 3:45 PM | Unusual Complications from CSP and Extraction Tips & Tricks | Robert Schaller, DO |
| 3:55 PM | CSP Trials in Asia: A Summary of the Landscape | Xiaohan Fan, MD, PhD |
| 4:05 PM | CSP Trials in North America: Left versus Left | Mihail Chelu, MD, PhD |
| 4:15 PM | CSP Trials in Europe: PROTECT HF and Others | Francesco Zanon, MD |
| 4:25 PM | CSP Trials in South America: Lessons Learned from Physio-Sync | Andre D’Avila, MD, PhD |
| 4:35 PM | The Evidence for CSP Today: Is It Time to Update the Guidelines? | Mina Chung, MD |
| Session VII: New Science Abstract Presentations | ||
| 4:45 – 5:00 PM | Top 3 Abstracts Will Present 5 Minutes Each | Assorted |
| 5:00 PM | Closing Reception | |
The agenda is subject to change.
David Rubenstein Forum at the University of Chicago
1201 E 60th St
Chicago, IL
60637
United States
HYBRID SYMPOSIUM
This activity is available in person and virtually. For questions, visit the symposium website or contact Olivia Hollingsworth by email.
ACCESSIBILITY The University of Chicago is committed to providing equal access appropriate to need and circumstances and complies fully with legal requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act. If you are in need of special accommodation, please contact Olivia Hollingsworth via email.
The University of Chicago reserves the right to cancel or postpone this conference due to unforeseen circumstances. In the unlikely event this activity must be cancelled or postponed, the registration fee will be refunded; however, the University of Chicago is not responsible for any related costs, charges, or expenses to participants, including fees assessed by airline/travel/lodging agencies.
COURSE DIRECTORS
Gaurav Upadhyay, MD
University of Chicago
University of Chicago
Gopi Dandamudi, MD
Prisma Health
Prisma Health
Kenneth Ellenbogen, MD
VCU School of Medicine
VCU School of Medicine
Roderick Tung, MD
Banner University Medical Center
Banner University Medical Center
Pugazhendhi Vijayaraman, MD
Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center
Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center
Disclosure Declarations
As a provider accredited by the ACCME, the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine asks everyone in a position to control the content of an educational activity to disclose all financial relationships with any ineligible companies. This includes any entity whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, re-selling, or distributing healthcare products used by or on patients. Financial relationships are relevant if a financial relationship, in any amount, exists between the person in control of content and an ineligible company during the past 24 months, and the content of the education is related to the products of an ineligible company with whom the person has a financial relationship. Mechanisms are in place to identify and mitigate any relevant financial relationships before the start of the activity.
Additionally, the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine requires Authors to identify investigational products or off-label uses of products regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration at first mention and where appropriate in the content.
As a provider accredited by the ACCME, the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine asks everyone in a position to control the content of an educational activity to disclose all financial relationships with any ineligible companies. This includes any entity whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, re-selling, or distributing healthcare products used by or on patients. Financial relationships are relevant if a financial relationship, in any amount, exists between the person in control of content and an ineligible company during the past 24 months, and the content of the education is related to the products of an ineligible company with whom the person has a financial relationship. Mechanisms are in place to identify and mitigate any relevant financial relationships before the start of the activity.
Additionally, the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine requires Authors to identify investigational products or off-label uses of products regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration at first mention and where appropriate in the content.
Physician Credit
The University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
The University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
The University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine designates this live activity for a maximum of 9.50 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
Other Participant Credit
Other participants will receive a Certificate of Participation. For information on the applicability and acceptance of Certificates of Participation for educational activities certified for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ from organizations accredited by the ACCME, please consult your professional licensing board.
Other participants will receive a Certificate of Participation. For information on the applicability and acceptance of Certificates of Participation for educational activities certified for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ from organizations accredited by the ACCME, please consult your professional licensing board.
Please note: The credit-claiming process closes 1 month after the activity ends. Requests submitted more than 1 month after the event date may incur additional fees.
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Please note: The credit-claiming process closes 1 month after the activity ends. Requests submitted more than 1 month after the event date may incur additional fees.
Please note: The credit-claiming process closes 1 month after the activity ends. Requests submitted more than 1 month after the event date may incur additional fees.
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