Impact of clinical and echocardiographic response to cardiac resynchronization therapy on long-term survival.

Background: Clinical or echocardiographic mid-term responses to cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) may have a different influence on a long-term prognosis of heart failure patients treated with CRT. The aim of the evaluation was to establish which definition of response to CRT, clinical or echocardiographic, best predicts long-term prognosis.

Methods And Results: A total of 679 heart failure patients treated with CRT were included.

Cardiac resynchronization therapy as a therapeutic option in patients with moderate-severe functional mitral regurgitation and high operative risk.

Background: Functional mitral regurgitation (MR) is a common finding in heart failure patients with dilated cardiomyopathy and has important prognostic implications. However, the increased operative risk of these patients may result in low referral or high denial rate for mitral valve surgery. Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) has been shown to have a favorable effect on MR.

Alterations in multidirectional myocardial functions in patients with aortic stenosis and preserved ejection fraction: a two-dimensional speckle tracking analysis.

Aims: To identify changes in multidirectional strain and strain rate (SR) in patients with aortic stenosis (AS).

Methods And Results: A total of 420 patients (age 66.1 ± 14.

Value of the surface electrocardiogram in detecting right ventricular dilatation in the presence of left bundle branch block.

Approximately 20% of patients with heart failure have left bundle branch block (LBBB) on surface electrocardiogram (ECG). In this group of patients, detection of right ventricular (RV) dilatation on standard ECG can be of clinical relevance because RV enlargement is an important prognostic marker. Consequently, the aim of this study was to evaluate diagnostic accuracy for several electrocardiographic criteria in determining significant RV dilatation in these patients.