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Benefits of Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy in an Asynchronous Heart Failure Model Induced by Left Bundle Branch Ablation and Rapid Pacing
12:45

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 resynchronization therapy improves ejection fraction and cardiac remodelling regardless of patients' age

Michela Brambatti1, Federico Guerra, Maria Vittoria Matassini

  • 1Cardiology Clinic, Marche Polytechnic University, Via Conca 71, Ancona, Italy. michelabrambatti@gmail.com

Europace : European Pacing, Arrhythmias, and Cardiac Electrophysiology : Journal of the Working Groups on Cardiac Pacing, Arrhythmias, and Cardiac Cellular Electrophysiology of the European Society of Cardiology
|February 7, 2013
PubMed

Insights

Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) effectively improves heart failure outcomes in elderly patients. This study found CRT benefits, including left ventricular ejection fraction improvement, are comparable between older and younger heart failure patients.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Geriatrics
  • Biomedical Engineering

Background:

  • Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) is established for heart failure (HF) management.
  • Limited data exist on CRT efficacy specifically in elderly HF populations.
  • Understanding age-related differences in CRT response is crucial for treatment guidelines.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the effectiveness of CRT in elderly (≥75 years) versus younger (<75 years) heart failure patients.
  • To compare improvements in left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) between these age groups.
  • To identify any age-specific differences in CRT-related clinical and echocardiographic outcomes.

Main Methods:

  • Prospective observational study of 65 advanced HF patients undergoing CRT.
  • Clinical assessments, MLHFQ, ECG, and echocardiography performed pre-CRT and at 3 and 12 months post-CRT.
  • Patients stratified into <75 and ≥75 years subgroups for comparative analysis.

Main Results:

  • Significant time-related improvement in LVEF observed in the overall cohort and both age subgroups.
  • LVEF improvement magnitude was similar between elderly (+13.6%) and non-elderly (+7.9%) patients.
  • Elderly patients showed more pronounced left ventricular diameter remodeling and QRS width reduction, with similar overall clinical improvements.

Conclusions:

  • CRT demonstrates comparable efficacy in improving LVEF for both elderly and younger heart failure patients.
  • Age should not be a barrier to considering CRT in eligible heart failure patients.
  • CRT offers significant benefits across different age groups in advanced heart failure management.
Abstract

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