Cardiac Rhythm Monitoring After Acute Decompensation for Heart Failure: Results from the CARRYING ON for HF Pilot Study.

Background: There's scarce evidence about cardiovascular events (CV) in patients with hospitalization for acute heart failure (HF) and no indication for immediate device implant.

Objective: The CARdiac RhYthm monitorING after acute decompensatiON for Heart Failure study was designed to assess the incidence of prespecified clinical and arrhythmic events in this patient population.

Methods: In this pilot study, 18 patients (12 (67%) male; age 72±10; 16 (89%) NYHA II-III), who were hospitalized for HF with low left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) (<40%) and no immediate indication for device implant received an implantable loop recorder (ILR) before hospital discharge.

Women with nonischemic cardiomyopathy have a favorable prognosis and a better left ventricular remodeling than men after cardiac resynchronization therapy.

Aims: Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) is a well established therapy in heart failure patients who are on optimal medical therapy and have reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and wide QRS complexes. Although women and patients with nonischemic cardiomyopathy are under-represented in CRT trials and registries, there is evidence that these two groups of patients can benefit more from CRT. The aim of our analysis was to investigate the impact of female sex on mortality in a population that included a high percentage of patients (61%) with nonischemic cardiomyopathy.

Left ventricular ejection fraction overcrossing 35% after one year of cardiac resynchronization therapy predicts long term survival and freedom from sudden cardiac death: single center observational experience.

Background: Reverse remodeling and increased LVEF after CRT correlate with survival and heart failure hospitalizations, but their relationship with the risk of SCD is unclear. We aimed to evaluate whether exceeding a threshold value of 35% for left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) 1 year after cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) predicts survival and freedom from sudden cardiac death (SCD).

Methods: 330 patients who survived ≥ 6 months after CRT (males 80%, age 62 ± 11 years) were grouped according to 1-year LVEF ≤ 35% (Group 1, n=187, 57%) or >35% (Group 2, n=143, 43%).

[Cardiac resynchronization therapy in women].

Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) is a well established option in patients with moderate to severe heart failure on optimal medical therapy, NYHA functional class Ill-IV, reduced systolic function (left ventricular ejection fraction < or =35%), broad QRS complex (>120 ms), but data addressing sex differences in response to CRT are lacking. Women are underrepresented in clinical and observational trials on CRT (<30%) but, when examining response across recent studies, there is evidence of a more positive effect of CRT in women. Also our data show that females seem to achieve a greater survival benefit with CRT than male recipients.

CArdiac resynchronization in combination with beta blocker treatment in advanced chronic heart failure (CARIBE-HF): the results of the CARIBE-HF study.

Objective: Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT), combined with optimal medical therapy (OMT), is an established treatment for patients with advanced chronic heart failure (ACHF). In ACHF, carvedilol at the dose used in clinical trials, reduces morbidity and mortality. However, patients often do not tolerate the drug at the targeted dosage.

Diagnostic capabilities of devices for cardiac resynchronization therapy.

Atrial fibrillation and chronic heart failure often coexist. Asymptomatic atrial fibrillation is common in patients with known atrial fibrillation but also in patients with no history of previous atrial fibrillation. The enhanced diagnostic capabilities of modern implantable devices for cardiac resynchronization therapy allow collecting of data on the clinical status of the patient in addition to information on device performance and cardiac rhythm.