title: Sympathetic nerve activity after thoracoscopic cardiac resynchronization therapy in congestive heart failure.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Sympathetic benefits of thoracoscopic cardiac resynchronization therapy (TCRT) in congestive heart failure (CHF) are unknown. We determined cardiac hemodynamics, functional status, and muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) in a group of TCRT patients. We aimed to compare these patients with CHF patients with cardiac asynchrony (ASY) to substantiate the beneficial effects of TCRT.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Eleven patients resynchronized by TCRT 6 +/- 1 months before study inclusion (SYN) and 10 matched ASY patients underwent blood pressure, heart rate, and MSNA recordings. All underwent functional status, cardiac index, and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) assessments. SYN patients had shorter QRS duration and interventricular mechanical delays, longer 6 minute walking distance and lower New York Heart Association class (all P < .05) than ASY patients. MSNA of 56 +/- 2 bursts/min in ASY patients was higher than in SYN patients (48 +/- 3 bursts/min, P < .05). Cardiac index was higher in SYN patients than in ASY patients (2.8 +/- 0.2 versus 1.9 +/- 0.2 L.min.m2, P < .05, respectively). MSNA was highest in the patients with the lowest LVEF (r = -0.49, P < .05), cardiac index (r = -0.48, P < .05) and 6-minute walking distance (r = -0.50, P < .05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Lower sympathetic nerve activities in TCRT patients are related to more favorable cardiac indexes and six minute walking distances suggesting a sympathetic, hemodynamic, and functional improvement by TCRT.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Erasme Hospital, Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: Boutaïna
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Najem
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Preumont
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Unger
authors.forename: Jean-Luc
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Jansens
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Houssière
authors.forename: Agnieszka
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ciarka
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Stoupel
authors.forename: Jean-Paul
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Degaute
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: van de Borne
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D004452:Echocardiography; D004562:Electrocardiography; D017079:Exercise Tolerance / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006329:Heart Conduction System / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010138:Pacemaker, Artificial; D013318:Stroke Volume / Q000502:physiology; D013564:Sympathetic Nervous System / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013906:Thoracoscopy; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D016138:Walking / Q000502:physiology