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Published on: December 11, 2017
Inotropic contractile reserve and response to cardiac resynchronization therapy in patients with markedly remodeled
Farooq A Chaudhry1, Ajay Shah, Sripal Bangalore
1St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital and Columbia University, New York, New York 10025, USA. fchaudhr@chpnet.org
Insights
Inotropic contractile reserve (ICR) predicts cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) response better than dyssynchrony. Dobutamine stress echocardiography can identify patients likely to benefit from CRT, improving treatment selection.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Echocardiography
- Heart Failure Management
Background:
- Current echocardiographic indicators for ventricular dyssynchrony lack sensitivity/specificity for predicting cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) response.
- Inotropic contractile reserve (ICR) assesses myocardial viability and predicts functional improvement in cardiomyopathy.
- The predictive role of ICR in CRT patients with significant left ventricular remodeling is currently unknown.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy of inotropic contractile reserve (ICR) in predicting response to cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT).
- To assess ICR's predictive value in patients with markedly remodeled left ventricles undergoing CRT.
Main Methods:
- Fifty-four patients referred for CRT underwent low-dose dobutamine stress echocardiography.
- ICR was defined as improved contractility in over five of 16 left ventricular segments.
- Patients were monitored for CRT response, defined by a 5-point increase in ejection fraction.
Main Results:
- Inotropic contractile reserve (ICR) was a superior predictor of CRT response (AUC=0.94) compared to dyssynchrony (AUC=0.74).
- ICR significantly predicted response (OR=2.84, P<.0001) and provided incremental value beyond QRS duration and dyssynchrony.
- The presence of ICR improved the predictive model's area under the curve from 0.47 to 0.93.
Conclusions:
- Inotropic contractile reserve (ICR) is a stronger predictor of cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) response than current markers like dyssynchrony and QRS duration.
- ICR offers incremental prognostic value, potentially improving patient selection for CRT.
- Dobutamine stress echocardiography utilizing ICR may be crucial for identifying CRT responders, warranting further multicenter validation.
Background:
Recently concluded multicenter studies have shown that none of an array of echocardiographic indicators of ventricular dyssynchrony have enough sensitivity and specificity for predicting response to cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT). Inotropic contractile reserve (ICR) on dobutamine stress echocardiography can differentiate viable myocardium from scar and is a predictor of improvement in regional and global left ventricular function in patients with cardiomyopathy. Its role in patients undergoing CRT is unknown. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of ICR in predicting response to CRT in patients with markedly remodeled left ventricles.
Methods:
Fifty-four patients (mean age, 69±11 years; 63% men) referred for clinically indicated CRT were evaluated. All patients underwent low-dose dobutamine stress echocardiography to assess for ICR, defined as an improvement in contractility in more than five of 16 left ventricular segments.
Results:
During a mean follow-up period of 206±167 days, 31 patients (57%) were responders, as defined by a 5-point increase in ejection fraction after CRT. The presence of ICR was a stronger predictor of response to CRT (area under the curve, 0.94; χ2=39.0; P<.0001) compared with dyssynchrony (area under the curve, 0.74; χ2=10.07; P=.002). It was a significant predictor of response (odds ratio, 2.84; 95% confidence interval, 1.59 to 5.09; P<.0001), even after controlling for the other predictors, and provided incremental prognostic value beyond that provided by QRS duration and dyssynchrony (increase in area under the curve from 0.47 to 0.75 to 0.93; P=.030 and P=.008).
Conclusions:
In patients referred for CRT, ICR was a stronger predictor of response and provided incremental value beyond that of current known predictors of response to CRT (dyssynchrony and QRS duration). Dobutamine stress echocardiography may have an important role in identifying CRT responders, and further multicenter studies are needed to confirm this.
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