The effects of aetiology on outcome in patients treated with cardiac resynchronization therapy in the CARE-HF trial.
OBJECTIVE
Cardiac dyssynchrony is common in patients with heart failure, whether or not they have ischaemic heart disease (IHD). The effect of the underlying cause of cardiac dysfunction on the response to cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) is unknown. This issue was addressed using data from the CARE-HF trial.


RESULTS
Patients (n = 813) were grouped by heart failure aetiology (IHD n = 339 vs. non-IHD n = 473), and the primary composite (all-cause mortality or unplanned hospitalization for a major cardiovascular event) and principal secondary (all-cause mortality) endpoints analysed. Heart failure severity and the degree of dyssynchrony were compared between the groups by analysing baseline clinical and echocardiographic variables. Patients with IHD were more likely to be in NYHA class IV (7.5 vs. 4.0%; P = 0.03) and to have higher NT-proBNP levels (2182 vs. 1725 pg/L), indicating more advanced heart failure. The degree of dyssynchrony was more pronounced in patients without IHD (assessed using mean QRS duration, interventricular mechanical delay, and aorta-pulmonary pre-ejection time). Left ventricular ejection fraction and left ventricular end-systolic volume improved to a lesser extent in the IHD group (4.53 vs. 8.50% and -35.68 vs. -58.52 cm(3)). Despite these differences, CRT improved all-cause mortality, NYHA class, and hospitalization rates to a similar extent in patients with or without IHD.


CONCLUSIONS
The benefits of CRT in patients with or without IHD were similar in relative terms in the CARE-HF study but as patients with IHD had a worse prognosis, the benefit in absolute terms may be greater.
Wikstrom
Gerhard
G
Department of Cardiology, Institute of Medical Sciences, Akademiska Hospital, University of Uppsala, Uppsala, Sweden. gerhard.wikstrom@medsci.uu.se
Blomström-Lundqvist
Carina
C
Andren
Bertil
B
Lönnerholm
Stefan
S
Blomström
Per
P
Freemantle
Nick
N
Remp
Thomas
T
Cleland
John G F
JG
D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002304:Cardiac Pacing, Artificial; D017147:Defibrillators, Implantable; D005260:Female; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000150:complications / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017202:Myocardial Ischemia / Q000209:etiology* / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*; D011379:Prognosis; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D013318:Stroke Volume / Q000502:physiology; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D018487:Ventricular Dysfunction, Left / Q000150:complications / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*