CardioExchange Archive

March 30th, 2014

Long-Term Follow-Up from MADIT-CRT: Guideline Implications

Arthur J. Moss, MD

Arthur J. Moss discusses his research group’s study of long-term survival for patients who received cardiac resynchronization therapy with a defibrillator in the MADIT-CRT trial.

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March 30th, 2014

MADIT-CRT Long-Term Follow-Up Shows Survival Benefit with CRT-D

Larry Husten, PHD

MADIT-CRT was an influential trial that showed a reduction in heart failure complications — but not mortality — when cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) was added to an implantable defibrillator in patients with mild heart failure who also had left bundle-branch block (LBBB). Patients in the trial were followed for 2.4 years, raising questions about the long-term effects […]

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August 13th, 2013

Observational Study Lends Support to CRT Guidelines

Larry Husten, PHD

A large observational study published in JAMA suggests that patients with left bundle-branch block (LBBB) and longer QRS duration derive the most benefit from a cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillator (CRT-D). The findings appear to support current, but often criticized, guidelines from the American College of Cardiology, American Heart Association, and the Heart Rhythm Society, in which a class I […]

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June 14th, 2011

CRT for HF Patients with Moderately Prolonged QRS Interval: Unethical?

Larry Husten, PHD

Approximately 40% of cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) devices are implanted in patients with QRS intervals below 150 msecs, but a meta-analysis published in Archives in Internal Medicine finds that these patients may not benefit from the device. Ilke Sipahi and colleagues performed a meta-analysis that included five CRT clinical trials (COMPANION, CARE-HF, REVERSE, MADIT-CRT, RAFT) with […]

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September 17th, 2010

FDA Grants Expanded Indication to CRT-D Devices

Larry Husten, PHD

The FDA has expanded the indication for CRT-D devices made by Boston Scientific. Previously, the devices had been approved only in NYHA Class III and IV patients. The expanded indication now includes Class I and II patients who have left bundle branch block. The expanded indication is based on data from the MADIT-CRT trial. “This approval […]

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