title: Cardiac resynchronisation therapy in patients with end-stage heart failure--long-term follow-up.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cardiac resynchronisation therapy (CRT) has been shown to be effective in the treatment of patients with end-stage heart failure (HF). However, long-term results of CRT have not yet been validated.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To assess the sustained benefit of CRT in patients with end-stage HF at long-term follow-up. In addition, predictors of response to CRT were analysed.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-eight patients with end-stage HF, NYHA class >or=III (>or=II in patients with indications for ICD and echocardiographic signs of ventricular mechanical systolic dyssynchrony), left ventricular ejection fraction <35%, QRS duration >120 ms and left bundle branch block morphology received a biventricular device (BiV). In 27 patients LV pacing was achieved via the coronary sinus tributaries and in 1 patient an endocardial LV lead was introduced transseptally. Ten patients received an ICD-CRT device. The control group consisted of 29 patients fulfilling the criteria for ICD-CRT implantation in whom the CRT system was not implanted for various reasons. At baseline, 3 months after implantation, and then every 6 months the following parameters were evaluated: NYHA class, quality of life (QoL) score, QRS duration on surface ECG, and 6-minute walking distance. The need for hospitalisation assessed one year before and one year after implantation was compared. Follow-up was obtained up to 2 years.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The NYHA class and 6-minute walking test were significantly improved in the CRT group after 3 months and continued to improve gradually until 24 months of follow-up. The QoL improvement at 6 months was sustained over 2 years. Hospitalisation rate due to worsening of HF decreased. One-year and two-year survival were significantly better in the CRT group than in the control group (94 and 87 vs. 80 and 73% respectively). The only predictor of clinical improvement after CRT implantation was baseline NYHA class.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Clinical improvements with CRT are progressive and sustained over 2 years of follow-up.
authors.affiliation: Klinika Kardiologii i Elektroterapii Serca, Akademia Medyczna, ul. Debinki 7, 80-210 Gdańsk. anfar@wp.pl
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Faran
authors.forename: Ewa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lewicka-Nowak
authors.forename: Alicja
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dabrowska-Kugacka
authors.forename: Maciej
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kempa
authors.forename: Sebastian
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tybura
authors.forename: Małgorzata
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Szwoch
authors.forename: Tomasz
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Królak
authors.forename: Grzegorz
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Raczak
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002304:Cardiac Pacing, Artificial; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004452:Echocardiography; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010138:Pacemaker, Artificial; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013318:Stroke Volume; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome