Article

Effects of cardiac resynchronization therapy with or without a defibrillator on survival and hospitalizations in patients with New York Heart Association class IV heart failure.

Department of Medicine, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, 4200 E. Ninth Ave, Denver, CO 80262, USA.
Circulation (impact factor: 14.74). 02/2007; 115(2):204-12. DOI:10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.106.629261 pp.204-12
Source: PubMed

ABSTRACT Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) alone or combined with an implantable defibrillator (CRT-D) has been shown to improve exercise capacity and quality of life and to reduce heart failure (HF) hospitalizations and mortality in patients with New York Heart Association (NYHA) class III and IV HF. There is concern that the device procedure may destabilize these very ill class IV patients. We sought to examine the outcomes of NYHA class IV patients enrolled in the Comparison of Medical Therapy, Pacing, and Defibrillation in Heart Failure (COMPANION) trial to assess the potential benefits of CRT and CRT-D.
The COMPANION trial randomized 1520 patients with NYHA class III and IV HF to optimal medical therapy, CRT, or CRT-D. In the class IV patients (n=217), the primary end point of time to death or hospitalization for any cause was significantly improved by both CRT (hazard ratio [HR], 0.64; 95% CI, 0.43 to 0.94; P=0.02) and CRT-D (HR, 0.62; 95% CI, 0.42 to 0.90; P=0.01). Time to all-cause death and HF hospitalization was also significantly improved in both CRT (HR, 0.57; 95% CI, 0.37 to 0.87; P=0.01) and CRT-D (HR, 0.49; 95% CI, 0.32 to 0.75; P=0.001) Time to all-cause death trended to an improvement in both CRT (HR, 0.67; 95% CI, 0.41 to 1.10; P=0.11) and CRT-D (HR, 0.63; 95% CI, 0.39 to 1.03; P=0.06). Time to sudden death appeared to be significantly reduced in the CRT-D group (HR, 0.27; 95% CI, 0.08 to 0.90; P=0.03). There was a nonsignificant reduction in time to HF deaths for both CRT (HR, 0.68; 95% CI, 0.34 to 1.37; P=0.28) and CRT-D (HR, 0.79; 95% CI, 0.41 to 1.52; P=0.48).
CRT and CRT-D significantly improve time to all-cause mortality and hospitalizations in NYHA class IV patients, with a trend for improved mortality. These devices should be considered in ambulatory NYHA class IV HF patients similar to those enrolled in COMPANION.

0 0
 · 
0 Bookmarks
 · 
29 Views

Keywords

all-cause death
 
all-cause death trended
 
all-cause mortality
 
Cardiac resynchronization therapy
 
class IV patients
 
COMPANION trial randomized 1520 patients
 
CRT-D group
 
device procedure
 
exercise capacity
 
hazard ratio [HR]
 
HF hospitalization
 
ill class IV patients
 
implantable defibrillator
 
IV HF
 
Medical Therapy
 
New York Heart Association
 
NYHA class IV patients
 
optimal medical therapy
 
primary end point
 
sudden death