Toward Sex-Specific Guidelines for Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy?

An important treatment for patients with heart failure is cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT). Even though only 20 % of women were included in clinical trials for CRT, a benefit has been shown in recent studies for subgroups of women compared to their male counterparts. Given this low inclusion rate of women in clinical studies, professional society guideline-based CRT recommendations, such as those by the American College of Cardiology Foundation (ACCF)/American Heart Association (AHA)/Heart Rhythm Society (HRS), may not truly represent the best treatment for women, especially since most of the reports that showed this greater benefit in women were published after the latest guidelines. Despite having research and multiple publications regarding sex-specific heart failure outcomes and response to CRT, the ACCF/AHA/HRS guidelines have not yet been updated to account for the recent information regarding the differences in benefit for women and men with similar patient characteristics. This review discusses the physiology behind CRT, sex-specific characteristics of heart failure, and cardiac electrophysiology and summarizes the current sex-specific literature to encourage consideration of CRT guidelines for women and men separately.     

Transcatheter Versus Surgical Aortic Valve Replacement in Patients With Prior Cardiac Surgery in the Randomized PARTNER 2A Trial

Objectives

The aim of this study was to further evaluate clinical outcomes in patients with and without PCS.

Does Prior Abdominal Surgery Influence Conversion Rates and Outcomes of Laparoscopic Right Colectomy in Patients with Neoplasia?

Purpose  The study investigated the impact of prior abdominal surgery on conversions and outcomes of laparoscopic right colectomy. Methods  A consecutive series of 414 patients with cancer or adenomas who underwent a laparoscopic right colectomy from March 1996 to November 2006 were studied for surgical conversions and outcomes. Conversion was defined as an incision length > 7 cm. Results  Patients with prior abdominal surgery (n = 191) were compared with patients with no prior abdominal surgery (n = 223), and showed no significant differences in age, ASA classification, length of stay, operative time, blood loss, harvested nodes, tumor size, and specimen length. Significantly more wound infections occurred in the prior abdominal surgery group (22 vs.12, P = 0.023). Body mass index > 30 showed a three-fold increased risk of conversion. Fifteen percent of the no prior abdominal surgery patients and 17 percent of the prior abdominal surgery patients were converted (P > 0.05). Conversion was associated with a longer mean length of stay (8.8 days) relative to laparoscopically completed cases (6.3 days) regardless of prior abdominal surgery history (P < 0.0001). Conclusions  Laparoscopic right colectomy for neoplasia was not associated with a higher conversion rate or morbidity in patients with prior abdominal surgery. Prior abdominal surgery is not a contraindication to laparoscopic right colectomy. Presented at the 15th International Congress of the European Association of Endoscopic Surgery, Athens, Greece, July 4 to 7, 2007.     

Controversies in Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy: Do Sex Differences in Response Exist?

Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) is well established in the treatment of patients with heart failure, but lacks data addressing sex differences in response. Women with heart failure outnumber men, but have additional comorbidities and typically are older. Women continue to be underrepresented in clinical trials, but examining their response to a therapy across multiple studies could provide significant insight into the treatment effect. The major clinical trials did have a significant percentage of female patients, but present minimal in subgroup analysis. A few small studies comparing the effect of CRT between men and women indicate a more positive effect in women. This early data suggests CRT is at least as effective in women as it is in men, and may have additional benefit in this population.     

Should We Optimize Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy During Exercise?

Should We Optimize CRT During Exercise? Cardiac resynchronization therapy aims at diminishing cardiac dyssynchrony in patients with heart failure. The effect of cardiac resynchronization therapy can be improved by optimization of the atrioventricular (AV) and interventricular (VV) delays. Currently, optimization of these pacing settings is mainly performed during resting conditions. This paper aims to objectively review the current literature about a rate‐adaptive AV and VV delay in cardiac resynchronization therapy. The current evidence for a rate‐adaptive AV and VV delay comprises only small nonrandomized studies on acute effects. The effect of exercise on the optimal AV delay was heterogeneous between studies. The optimal VV delay was influenced by exercise conditions in some, but not all patients. Possible explanations lie in the heterogeneous electrical and mechanical responses to exercise in patients with a complex disease such as heart failure with asynchronous contraction. Current evidence is insufficient to show the superiority of a rate‐adaptive AV or VV delay in all CRT patients. Individualized exercise programming may be warranted in selected patients. (J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol, Vol. 21, pp. 1307‐1316, November 2010)     

Does Lethal Reperfusion Injury Exist in Cardiac Surgery?

Journal of Thrombosis and Thrombolysis -     

Has Mechanical Dyssynchrony Still a Role in Predicting Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy Response?

Current guidelines for cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) include electrical but not mechanical dyssynchrony assessment. Our study aims to investigate the effects of isolated or combined mechanical and electrical dyssynchrony, according, respectively, to a standard deviation of tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) derived time to systolic peak ≥32.6 ms and to a QRS duration ≥120 ms, in predicting CRT reverse remodeling. Method: One hundred ninety‐two CRT patients were studied. All patients underwent a complete standard and TDI echocardiography examination before and 6 months after CRT. According to baseline evaluation patients were divided into Group 1, patients with isolated electrical dyssynchrony (QRS ≥ 120 ms, TS‐SD < 32.6), Group 2, patients with isolated mechanical dyssynchrony (QRS < 120 ms, TS‐SD ≥ 32.6) and Group 3, patients with combined electrical and mechanical dyssynchrony (QRS ≥ 120 ms, TS‐SD ≥ 32.6). Patients were considered CRT responders according to ≥15 left ventricular end‐systolic volume (LVESV) reduction at follow‐up (FU). Result: At FU, 86 (45%) patients were responders. The highest CRT response rate was observed in Group 3 (62/119, 52%, P < 0.001 vs. Group 1). No significant differences in response rate were observed between Group 1 (13/47, 27%) and Group 2 (11/26, 42%). In Group1, CRT did not induce any significant change in LV end‐diastolic volume (LVEDV), LVESV, LV ejection fraction (LVEF), myocardial performance index (MPI), while in Group 2, LVEF (P < 0.001) and MPI (P < 0.05) were improved. In Group 3, LVEDV, LVESV, LVEF, MPI were significantly improved (P < 0.0001 for all). Conclusion: Our data demonstrate that the highest CRT response rate can be achieved by combining traditional QRS criterion and a currently used echocardiographic dyssynchrony parameter. (Echocardiography, 2010;27:831‐838)     

Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy for Chronic Heart Failure: Why Does It Not Always Work?

Since coronary angiography and ventriculography are performed in all of these patients with LV dysfunction and symptoms of heart failure, it seems silly to waste the opportunity to study this technique and its value in identifying patients who will respond to CRT, at least in the immediate post-CRT state. The critical factors that may result in a successful long-term positive result of CRT in patients with optimal device programming and optimized medical therapy for heart failure are these: (1) Venous anatomy suitable for electrical stimulation of the LV free wall. (2) Viable myocardium in the septum and the LV free wall. (3) Adequate perfusion of the microcirculation in the distribution where the leads are being placed.     

Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy: Do Women Benefit More Than Men?

Gender and Resynchronization Therapy. Introduction: Women are underrepresented in cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) trials. Whether there is a gender difference in the benefit derived from CRT has not been well studied. Methods: This study included 728 consecutive CRT recipients at our institution who met guidelines for placement of a CRT device. Clinical characteristics and echocardiographic parameters were collected at baseline and after CRT; Kaplan–Meier survival analysis was performed using a national death and location database. The effects and outcome of CRT were compared between women and men. Results: Of 728 patients, 166 were female (22.8%). Female patients were younger than male patients (66.0 ± 11.9 years vs 69.4 ± 10.9 years; P < 0.001) and more often had nonischemic cardiomyopathy (68% vs 36%; P < 0.001). Both female and male patients had significantly improved clinical and echocardiographic parameters after CRT. The magnitude of improvement was similar in women and men, except that improvement in New York Heart Association (NYHA) class was greater in women than in men (–0.79 ± 0.78 vs –0.56 ± 0.85; P = 0.009). Although women were at lower risk of death than men after CRT (hazard ratio, 0.51; 95% confidence interval, 0.35–0.75; P < 0.001, unadjusted), multivariate analysis indicated gender was not, but age at CRT placement, cardiomyopathy cause, NYHA class, and lead location were independent predictors of survival. Conclusion: Female CRT recipients seem to achieve greater survival benefit than male recipients. However, this benefit is majorly driven by nonischemic cardiomyopathy and other clinical factors. (J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol, Vol. 23, pp. 172‐178, February 2012)     

Outcome Predictors for Thiopurine Maintenance Therapy in Patients with Crohn’s Disease

Background  

Little is known about the factors that predict clinical relapse in Crohn’s disease patients receiving thiopurine therapy to maintain remission. The objective of this study was, therefore, to investigate these factors.