8 Pre-existing right ventricular paced heart failure patients upgraded to cardiac resynchronisation therapy devices: a retrospective assessment of the functional and clinical benefits

Introduction: Heart failure (HF) affects 1-2% of the adult population in the Western world, rising to more than 10% among those aged 70 years and older. In 15-30% of this population, intraventricular dyssynchrony exists. A series of large randomised trials demonstrated cardiac resynchronisation therapy (CRT) as a highly effective therapeutic option for moderate-to-severe HF patients with an ejection fraction less than 35% and a QRS width greater than 120ms. However, chronic right ventricular (RV) pacing is known to increase the risk of developing HF. This sub-group of HF patients were excluded from these trials; and research into the benefits of CRT in these patients is limited.
Source: Europace - Category: Cardiology Source Type: research