Study Fails To Support Broader Patient Population For Cardiac-Resynchronization Therapy

Cardiac-resynchronization therapy (CRT) has been shown to be beneficial in heart failure (HF) patients with a wide QRS interval. These benefits have not been reproduced so far in patients with narrow QRS intervals, though many such patients have ventricular dyssynchrony. Now a new study, presented at the European Society of Cardiology in Amsterdam and published…

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Observational Study Lends Support to CRT Guidelines

A large observational study published in JAMA suggests that patients with left bundle-branch block (LBBB) and longer QRS duration derive the most benefit from a cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillator (CRT-D). The findings appear to support current, but often criticized, guidelines from the American College of Cardiology, American Heart Association, and the Heart Rhythm Society, in which a class I recommendation…

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BLOCK HF: CRT Superior To Conventional Pacing In Heart Failure Patients With AV Block

  Patients with atrioventricular (AV) block generally receive right ventricular pacing; cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) has been restricted to patients with a low ejection fraction and a wide QRS duration. However, RV pacing may worsen LV dysfunction in AV block patients with low ejection fractions. Previous studies have raised the possibility that these patients may…

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