Heart failure treatment in patients with cardiac implantable electronic devices: Opportunity for improvement

Heart failure and reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) is the predominant indication for cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) and implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) implantation. The care gap and opportunity to optimize guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT) is unclear.

We sought to define uptake, eligibility, dose, and adherence to GDMT in patients with CRT/ICD and HFrEF.

MEDLINE was searched from 2000 to July 2021 for major randomized trials, registries, and cohort studies evaluating GDMT in this population. Thirty-eight studies focused on medical therapy in patients with CRT/ICD devices (CRT = 23, ICD = 11, and both = 4).

In the pivotal device trials, ACEI/ARB and beta-blocker use was high (mean 94%, range 41%-99%; and 83%, range 27%-97%, respectively), but mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists were modest (mean 45%, range 32%-61%), in keeping with guidelines of that era. Similar results were found in observational registries. CRT was associated with beta-blocker uptitration, while the effects on ACEI/ARB were less consistent. For beta blockers, 57%-68% of patients were uptitrated, increasing the mean percent of target dose achieved by 24% from baseline to follow-up. In one study, adherence increased, for ACEI/ARB from 37% to 55% and beta blockers 34% to 58%. Only 1 study assessed potential eligibility at implant for sacubitril-valsartan (72%) or ivabradine (28%), and no study examined sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors. Increased uptake, titration, and dose was associated with reduced mortality, hospitalization, and device therapies.

Patients with HFrEF and ICD/CRT are undertreated with respect to GDMT, and there is opportunity to optimize therapy to improve morbidity and mortality.