BACKGROUND Cardiac resynchronization therapy for heart failure with left bundle branch block reduces left ventricular (LV) conduction delay, contraction asynchrony, and LV end-systolic volume ("reverse remodeling"). Up to one third of patients do not improve, and the electric requirements for reverse remodeling are unclear. We hypothesized that reverse remodeling is predicted by the left bundle...

BACKGROUND Large-scale data on outcomes with cardiac resynchronization therapy with defibrillator in patients with diabetes mellitus are limited. We compared outcomes after cardiac resynchronization therapy with defibrillator implantation among patients with heart failure who have diabetes mellitus versus those without diabetes mellitus. METHODS AND RESULTS Survival curves and covariate adjus...

BACKGROUND Response to cardiac resynchronization therapy is most favorable in patients with heart failure with QRS duration ≥150 ms and left bundle branch block and less predictable in those with QRS width 120 to 149 ms or non-left bundle branch block. METHODS AND RESULTS We studied 205 patients with heart failure referred for cardiac resynchronization therapy with QRS ≥120 ms and ejection fr...

Frequent premature ventricular complexes (PVCs) have been demonstrated to cause tachycardiomyopathy in some individuals with a structurally normal heart. We report a patient with severe congestive cardiomyopathy which did not respond to cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT). Ambulatory monitoring and interrogation of the device memory revealed frequent monomorphic PVCs that were considered a ...

Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) is a new therapeutic approach for a selected group of patients with symptomatic heart failure (NYHA functional class III-IV) despite optimal medical therapy, due to dilated cardiomyopathy of any etiology (left ventricular ejection fraction < or = 35% and left ventricular end-diastolic diameter > or = 55 mm), who present with electromechanical dyssynchrony...

The short-term prognosis of advanced refractory heart failure is extremely poor and closely correlated with progressive left ventricular dysfunction. The identification of the negative effects of conduction delay on cardiac performance, observed in almost 50% of heart failure patients, disclosed a new research field addressing the correction of electrical abnormalities in order to achieve an im...

INTRODUCTION Chagas disease is a major cause of cardiomyopathy and sudden death in our country. It has a high mortality when their patients develop New York Heart Association (NYHA) class IV. OBJECTIVE The objective of this study is to analyze the clinical outcome of patients with Chagas' cardiomyopathy with congestive heart failure with optimized pharmacological therapy, undergoing cardiac r...

Cardiac resynchronization therapy involves pacing of the left ventricle alone or in concert with the right ventricle within a certain range of atrioventricular delay. It may help patients with systolic heart failure and conduction disturbances by optimizing myocardial performance.

Cardiac resynchronisation therapy (CRT) has emerged as a treatment option for patients with severe, drug-refractory heart failure and signs of intraventricular dyssynchrony. In clinical trials CRT reduced the overall mortality, improved symptoms, exercise tolerance, and left ventricular function, as compared with optimised medical therapy alone. One of the challenging fields in patient selectio...

Introduction Cardiac dysfunction in boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a leading cause of death. Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) has been shown to dramatically decrease mortality in eligible adult population with congestive heart failure. We hypothesized that mechanical dyssynchrony is present in DMD patients and that cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) may predict CRT ...