BACKGROUND: Cardiac resynchronization therapy produces both short-term hemodynamic and long-term symptomatic/mortality benefits in symptomatic heart failure patients with a QRS duration >120 ms. This is conventionally believed to be due principally to relief of dyssynchrony, although we recently showed that relief of external constraint to left ventricular filling may also play a role. In this study, we evaluated the short-term hemodynamic effects in symptomatic patients with a QRS duration <120 ms and no evidence of dyssynchrony on conventional criteria and assessed the effects on contractility and external constraint. METHODS AND RESULTS: Thirty heart failure patients (New York Heart Association class III/IV) with a left ventricular ejection fraction < or =35% who were in sinus rhythm underwent pressure-volume studies at the time of pacemaker implantation. External constraint, left ventricular stroke work, dP/dtmax, and the slope of the preload recruitable stroke work relation were measured from the end-diastolic pressure-volume relation before and during delivery of biventricular and left ventricular pacing. The following changes were observed during delivery of cardiac resynchronization therapy: Cardiac output increased by 25+/-5% (P<0.05), absolute left ventricular stroke work increased by 26+/-5% (P<0.05), the slope of the preload recruitable stroke work relation increased by 51+/-15% (P<0.05), and dP/dtmax increased by 9+/-2% (P<0.05). External constraint was present in 15 patients and was completely abolished by both biventricular and left ventricular pacing (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Cardiac resynchronization therapy results in an improvement in short-term hemodynamic variables in patients with a QRS <120 ms related to both contractile improvement and relief of external constraint. These findings provide a potential physiological basis for cardiac resynchronization therapy in this patient population.
BACKGROUND: Cardiac resynchronization therapy produces both short-term hemodynamic and long-term symptomatic/mortality benefits in symptomatic heart failurepatients with a QRS duration >120 ms. This is conventionally believed to be due principally to relief of dyssynchrony, although we recently showed that relief of external constraint to left ventricular filling may also play a role. In this study, we evaluated the short-term hemodynamic effects in symptomatic patients with a QRS duration <120 ms and no evidence of dyssynchrony on conventional criteria and assessed the effects on contractility and external constraint. METHODS AND RESULTS: Thirty heart failurepatients (New York Heart Association class III/IV) with a left ventricular ejection fraction < or =35% who were in sinus rhythm underwent pressure-volume studies at the time of pacemaker implantation. External constraint, left ventricular stroke work, dP/dtmax, and the slope of the preload recruitable stroke work relation were measured from the end-diastolic pressure-volume relation before and during delivery of biventricular and left ventricular pacing. The following changes were observed during delivery of cardiac resynchronization therapy: Cardiac output increased by 25+/-5% (P<0.05), absolute left ventricular stroke work increased by 26+/-5% (P<0.05), the slope of the preload recruitable stroke work relation increased by 51+/-15% (P<0.05), and dP/dtmax increased by 9+/-2% (P<0.05). External constraint was present in 15 patients and was completely abolished by both biventricular and left ventricular pacing (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Cardiac resynchronization therapy results in an improvement in short-term hemodynamic variables in patients with a QRS <120 ms related to both contractile improvement and relief of external constraint. These findings provide a potential physiological basis for cardiac resynchronization therapy in this patient population.
Authors: Subham Ghosh; Jennifer N A Silva; Russell M Canham; Tammy M Bowman; Junjie Zhang; Edward K Rhee; Pamela K Woodard; Yoram Rudy Journal: Heart Rhythm Date: 2011-01-11 Impact factor: 6.343
Authors: Francisco Leyva; Paul W X Foley; Shajil Chalil; Karim Ratib; Russell E A Smith; Frits Prinzen; Angelo Auricchio Journal: J Cardiovasc Magn Reson Date: 2011-06-13 Impact factor: 5.364