Cardiac resynchronization therapy and arterial blood pressure: a bonus for hemodynamic improvement

The association between low blood pressure and prognosis in patients with heart failure has been controversial, with some reports suggesting an increased mortality for patients with the lowest blood pressures. Cardiac resynchronization therapy has become an established major therapeutic option for patients with heart failure and left ventricular dyssynchrony. It has been shown to improve functional capacity, left ventricular systolic function and survival in patients with heart failure. However, it is not known if this improvement in systolic function translates into an increase in arterial blood pressure. Here we discuss a recent publication evaluating the effect of cardiac resynchronization therapy on systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure and pulse pressure. This study shows that cardiac resynchronization therapy is associated with a modest increase in systolic blood pressure and pulse pressure in patients with heart failure. These findings will be summarized and discussed with readily available clinical data.