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Updated: Aug 26, 2026

Benefits of Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy in an Asynchronous Heart Failure Model Induced by Left Bundle Branch Ablation and Rapid Pacing
Published on: December 11, 2017
Cardiac resynchronisation may reduce all-cause mortality: meta-analysis of preliminary COMPANION data with CONTAK-CD,
Insights
Cardiac resynchronisation therapy (CRT) improves heart failure symptoms. Pooled data now shows CRT significantly reduces all-cause mortality in specific heart failure patients with left bundle branch block.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Medical Devices
- Clinical Trials
Background:
- Biventricular pacing, or cardiac resynchronisation therapy (CRT), is used for chronic heart failure with left ventricular dysfunction.
- Previous trials showed CRT improved symptoms, exercise capacity, and quality of life, but not all-cause mortality.
Discussion:
- The COMPANION study's results, combined with prior data, provide significant evidence for CRT's mortality benefit.
- Pooled analysis of five randomized controlled trials demonstrates a significant reduction in all-cause mortality (OR, 0.74; 95% CI, 0.56-0.97).
Key Insights:
- CRT significantly reduces all-cause mortality in a subset of heart failure patients.
- This mortality benefit is observed when pooling data from multiple landmark trials.
Outlook:
- CRT may become a standard therapy for patients with chronic heart failure and left bundle branch block.
- Further research could explore optimal patient selection criteria for CRT to maximize survival benefits.
Abstract:
Landmark trials have demonstrated that biventricular pacing (also called cardiac resynchronisation therapy or CRT) in chronic heart failure due to left ventricular dysfunction improves symptomatic status, exercise capacity and quality of life. Yet critically, all-cause mortality has not been demonstrated to be reduced in any of the four randomised controlled trials with mortality data (CONTAK-CD, InSync implantable-cardioverter defibrillator (ICD), MIRACLE and MUSTIC). With the much larger COMPANION study now terminated, however, the currently available pooled data from all five trials shows a significant reduction in all-cause mortality, odds ratio (OR), 0.74: 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.56-0.97. This may now establish biventricular pacing as a standard therapy for a specific subset of patients with chronic heart failure and LBBB.
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