Abstrakt
We are thankful to Coluccia et al.1 for interest in our study,2 and thoughtful comment on the nomenclature of His bundle pacing. We appreciate and share their desire for precise terminology and the terms proposed by Coluccia et al.1: "exclusive" and "non-exclusive" seem quite fitting.
However, there are several arguments in favor of keeping the term "selective" for the capture of only His bundle and "non-selective" for the capture of both His bundle and the adjacent septal myocardium. 1. This terminology has a long tradition.
It was introduced by Williams et al.3 already in 1976, and used by Deshmukh in the very first paper that introduced permanent His bundle pacing in 2000.4 It was also adopted by the experts' consensus in the modern era of His bundle pacing.5 2. There are hundreds of papers where this terminology was used; introducing new terminology would rather result in chaos and less clarity than be beneficial. 3.
As nonnative speakers, were are far from taking a firm stand on nuances of meaning and use of the words "selective" versus "exclusive" in the English language. However, the Polish equivalent "selektywna" which has the same etymology (both originate from Latin word "selectus") or Slovak "selektívna" are perfect for the intended meaning of this word to describe this type of His bundle capture in our languages and we suspect that it also is quite fitting in the English language.
It is hard not to notice that the word "selective" is used in English in medicine and other areas in exactly the same meaning as in "selective His bundle capture"-that only one tissue is "chosen" by pacing current to be captured but not the other. For example "selective beta-blocker"-one beta receptor type is blocked but not the other, "selective nerve stimulation"-often used in neurology (with exactly the same meaning as in the case of selective conduction system pacing) or selective radio receiver.
In conclusion, we believe that the usus of the word "selective" provides a more precise definition than Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary, and supports its continued use.