Guideline-directed device therapies in heart failure: A clinical practice-based analysis using electronic health...

Guideline-directed device therapies (GDDT) improve outcomes for eligible patients with heart failure (HF) with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). Utilization rates of device therapies in HFrEF after the 2012 ACCF/AHA/HRS Focused Update for Device-based Therapies of Cardiac Rhythm Abnormalities have not been well studied.

Characterize the use of GDDT in newly indicated HFrEF patients from 2012 to 2019 using aggregated electronic health record (EHR) data.

Computable phenotyping algorithms for implantable cardioverter defibrillator/cardiac resynchronization therapy-defibrillator (ICD/CRT-D) indications from the GuideLine Indications Detected in EHR for Heart Failure program (GLIDE-HF) used diagnoses, procedures, measures, prescriptions, and the output of natural language processed provider notes from de-identified Optum® EHR data. Patients had a diagnosis of HF, dilated cardiomyopathy, or prior infarct, and were included if they had HFrEF with >1 year of records prior to a new Class 1 or Class 2a indication for an ICD or cardiac resynchronization therapy with defibrillator (CRT-D) from 2012 to 2019.

Records showed 137,476 HFrEF patients were newly indicated for an ICD or CRT-D. GDDT was used in 14,892 of 36,358 (41.0%) CRT-D indicated patients and in 14,904 of 101,118 (14.7%) ICD-indicated patients. While GDDT use was low, 95.7% had echocardiography and 92.1% had prescriptions for beta-blockers or angiotensin-converting enzyme/angiotensin-receptor blockers medications.

In this modern cohort of HF patients, a large proportion of eligible patients did not receive ICDs or CRT-Ds, while frequently receiving other indicated cardiovascular interventions and treatments.