PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Cardiac resynchronization improves survival in heart failure patients

Study comparing 2 types of pacemakers finds clear benefits for certain patients

2014-03-31
(Press-News.org) WASHINGTON (March 30, 2014) — Patients in mild heart failure who receive a specialized pacemaker known as cardiac resynchronization therapy with a defibrillator (CRT-D) may live longer than those implanted with a traditional implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD), according to research presented at the American College of Cardiology's 63rd Annual Scientific Session.

In the first study to look at CRT-D in mildly symptomatic patients, researchers found that patients with left bundle branch block implanted with a CRT-D had a 41 percent reduced risk of death compared to patients who had a conventional ICD. The probability of all-cause mortality at seven years was 18 percent among the CRT-D patients, compared to 29 percent in the ICD group in this subset of patients. The five-year survival rate for patients with CRT-D was close to 90 percent.

"Based on our findings, we now have an intervention that can potentially change the outcomes for certain heart failure patients," said Ilan Goldenberg, M.D., director of the department of cardiology, Israel's Leviev Heart Center, and one of the lead investigators of the study. "We can intervene early in the course of the disease to reduce the risk of long-term mortality in these patients."

The Multicenter Automatic Defibrillator Implantation with Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy trial enrolled 1,820 patients with mild or no heart failure symptoms – including 1,281with left bundle branch block in this analysis – and randomized them to receive CRT-D therapy or ICD. ICDs are implanted in the right ventricle of patients at high risk of sudden cardiac death due to heart arrhythmias. When patients have a life-threatening arrhythmia, the ICD delivers an electrical shock to help restore a regular heartbeat. A CRT-D differs from an ICD in that it has a second electrode over the left ventricle of the heart to help synchronize a patient's heartbeat and improve cardiac function.

Patients enrolled in the study were diagnosed with New York Heart Association Class 1 or 2 (mild) heart failure, left ventricular dysfunction and an ejection fraction of 30 percent or lower. The original trial followed patients for an average of 2.4 years, and the current study extended this follow-up for up to seven years from enrollment.

According to Goldenberg, previous studies have shown survival benefits from CRT-D in patients with moderate-to-severe symptoms, where intervention took place relatively late in the course of the disease when mortality rates are high. This study is the first to show the significant survival benefit when CRT-D is used with mildly symptomatic patients or asymptomatic patients with cardiac dysfunction.

Heart failure is a condition in which the heart is unable to pump or fill with enough blood and must work harder to supply enough blood for the body's needs. The condition ranges from mild to severe and can progress over time. Approximately half of patients who develop moderate or severe heart failure die within five years of diagnosis, making it important to intervene early in the clinical course of the disease.

The significant long-term survival benefit of CRT-D in the trial was observed only among patients with a specific ECG pattern, left bundle branch block, Goldenberg said. The study does not support early intervention with CRT-D in patients without left bundle branch block.

While researchers expected to find mortality reduction in patients with left bundle branch block during long-term follow-up, Goldenberg said, "we were surprised by the consistency of results in each subgroup of these patients, regardless of age, gender or the cause or duration of heart failure."

Goldenberg recommends additional research to see if similar benefits are found in patients with higher ejection fractions and among those without any symptoms of heart failure. The study was supported by an unrestricted grant from Boston Scientific, St. Paul, Minn.

INFORMATION: This study will be simultaneously published online in the New England Journal of Medicine at the time of presentation.

The ACC's Annual Scientific Session brings together cardiologists and cardiovascular specialists from around the world each year to share the newest discoveries in treatment and prevention. Follow @ACCMediaCenter and #ACC14 for the latest news from the meeting.

The American College of Cardiology is a nonprofit medical society comprised of 47,000 physicians, surgeons, nurses, physician assistants, pharmacists and practice managers. The College is dedicated to transforming cardiovascular care, improving heart health and advancing quality improvement, patient-centered care, payment innovation and professionalism. The ACC also leads the formulation of important cardiovascular health policy, standards and guidelines. It bestows credentials upon cardiovascular specialists, provides professional education, supports and disseminates cardiovascular research, and operates national registries to measure and promote quality care. For more information, visit CardioSource.org.


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Blood test helps predict heart attack risk for patients with chest pain

2014-03-31
WASHINGTON (March 30, 2014) — Patients presenting to the emergency department with an undetectable level of the blood biomarker high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T, and whose ECGs show no sign of restricted blood flow, have a minimal risk of heart attack within 30 days, according to research presented at the American College of Cardiology's 63rd Annual Scientific Session. In a study of all patients (14,636 in total) reporting to a Swedish emergency department with chest pain over a two-year period from 2010 to 2012, researchers examined patients' blood levels of high-sensitivity ...

The Atlantic Ocean dances with the sun and volcanoes

2014-03-31
Imagine a ballroom in which two dancers apparently keep in time to their own individual rhythm. The two partners suddenly find themselves moving to the same rhythm and, after a closer look, it is clear to see which one is leading. It was an image like this that researchers at Aarhus University were able to see when they compared studies of solar energy release and volcanic activity during the last 450 years, with reconstructions of ocean temperature fluctuations during the same period. The results actually showed that during the last approximately 250 years – since ...

Researchers reveal a new pathway through the sodium pump

Researchers reveal a new pathway through the sodium pump
2014-03-31
A study in The Journal of General Physiology provides new evidence that the ubiquitous sodium pump is more complex—and more versatile—than we thought. The sodium pump is present in the surface membrane of all animal cells, using energy derived from ATP to transport sodium and potassium ions in opposite directions across the cell boundary. By setting up transmembrane gradients of these two ions, the pump plays a vital role in many important processes, including nerve impulses, heartbeats, and muscular contraction. Now, Rockefeller University researchers Natascia Vedovato ...

Data show benefit of comprehensive lipid testing in determining risk for coronary heart disease

2014-03-31
Washington, D.C., March 31, 2014 ― Data presented from two meta-analyses using the Atherotech Vertical Auto Profile (VAP®) Lipid Panel showed the impact high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and remnant lipoprotein (RLP) cholesterol have on determining a patient's risk for hard coronary heart disease (CHD) endpoints, such as myocardial infarction or coronary death. Each analysis examined men and women without prevalent CHD enrolled in both the Framingham Offspring and Jackson Heart studies over eight years. In both studies, HDL, the "good" cholesterol in the ...

Giving steroids during bypass surgery shows no benefit, some harm

2014-03-31
WASHINGTON (March 31, 2014) — Giving patients steroids at the time of heart surgery does not improve health outcomes and appears to put them at greater risk of having a heart attack in the days following surgery, according to research presented at the American College of Cardiology's 63rd Annual Scientific Session. The finding, which stems from the largest randomized trial in cardiac surgery ever conducted, challenges a practice that many surgeons have used for decades. "Based on these results, we suggest that steroids should not be used prophylactically during cardiac ...

Metformin fails to reduce heart failure after heart attack

2014-03-31
Washington (March 31, 2014) — The use of metformin, a common regulator of blood glucose for diabetics, does not help protect against heart failure in non-diabetic patients who have suffered a heart attack, according to research presented at the American College of Cardiology's 63rd Annual Scientific Session. The GIPS-III trial is the first double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study conducted to evaluate whether four months of metformin treatment preserved left ventricular function in non-diabetic patients with acute myocardial infarction. Metformin is commonly ...

Bariatric surgery beats medical therapy alone for managing diabetes

2014-03-31
WASHINGTON (March 31, 2014) — Gastric bypass and sleeve gastrectomy – two of the most commonly used bariatric surgeries – are more effective than intensive medical therapy alone when it comes to managing uncontrolled type 2 diabetes in overweight or obese patients after three years, according to research presented at the American College of Cardiology's 63rd Annual Scientific Session. STAMPEDE is the largest randomized controlled trial with one of the longest follow-ups to compare the effect of these two procedures to intensive medical therapy in helping patients achieve ...

'Ivory tower' bucking social media

Ivory tower bucking social media
2014-03-31
EAST LANSING, Mich. — University scholars are largely resisting the use of social media to circulate their scientific findings and engage their tech-savvy students, a Michigan State University researcher argues in a new paper. While social media is widely used in fields such as journalism and business – not just to push a product but also to engage in open dialogue with readers and clients – it has failed to take hold in academia's so-called ivory tower. This is troubling given that universities in the United States and Europe are trying to increase access to publicly ...

Can vitamin A turn back the clock on breast cancer?

2014-03-31
(PHILADELPHIA) – A derivative of vitamin A, known as retinoic acid, found abundantly in sweet potato and carrots, helps turn pre-cancer cells back to normal healthy breast cells, according to research published this month in the International Journal of Oncology. The research could help explain why some clinical studies have been unable to see a benefit of vitamin A on cancer: the vitamin doesn't appear to change the course of full-blown cancer, only pre-cancerous cells, and only works at a very narrow dose. Because cells undergo many changes before they become fully ...

Excessive hospital occupancy levels result in avoidable mortality

2014-03-31
Once a hospital reaches a certain occupancy level, the quality of care it provides deteriorates, increasing the risk of mortality of critically ill patients. What is worrying is that this safety 'tipping point' is reached at occupancy levels that are below 100%. The findings are reported by a team of researchers led by Ludwig Kuntz, Professor of Health Management at the University of Cologne. Their paper (Stress on the Ward: Evidence of Safety Tipping Points in Hospitals) is to appear shortly in the international journal Management Science. For the purposes of their study, ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Community partners key to success of vaccine clinic focused on neurodevelopmental conditions

Low-carbon collaborative dual-layer optimization for energy station considering joint electricity and heat demand response

McMaster University researchers uncover potential treatment for rare genetic disorders

The return of protectionism: The impact of the Sino-US trade war

UTokyo and NARO develop new vertical seed distribution trait for soybean breeding

Research into UK’s use of plastic packaging finds households ‘wishcycle’ rather than recycle – risking vast contamination

Vaccine shows promise against aggressive breast cancer

Adverse events affect over 1 in 3 surgery patients, US study finds

Outsourcing adult social care has contributed to England’s care crisis, argue experts

The Lancet: Over 800 million adults living with diabetes, more than half not receiving treatment, global study suggests

New therapeutic approach for severe COVID-19: faster recovery and reduction in mortality

Plugged wells and reduced injection lower induced earthquake rates in Oklahoma

Yin selected as a 2024 American Society of Agronomy Fellow

Long Covid could cost the economy billions every year

Bluetooth technology unlocks urban animal secrets

This nifty AI tool helps neurosurgeons find sneaky cancer cells

Treatment advances, predictive biomarkers stand to improve bladder cancer care

NYC's ride-hailing fee failed to ease Manhattan traffic, new NYU Tandon study reveals

Meteorite contains evidence of liquid water on Mars 742 million years ago

Self-reported screening helped reduce distressing symptoms for pediatric patients with cancer

Which risk factors are linked to having a severe stroke?

Opening borders for workers: Abe’s profound influence on Japan’s immigration regime

How skills from hospitality and tourism can propel careers beyond the industry

Research shows managers of firms handling recalls should review media scrutiny before deciding whether to lobby

New model system for the development of potential active substances used in condensate modifying drugs

How to reduce social media stress by leaning in instead of logging off

Pioneering research shows sea life will struggle to survive future global warming

In 10 seconds, an AI model detects cancerous brain tumor often missed during surgery 

Burden of RSV–associated hospitalizations in US adults, October 2016 to September 2023

Repurposing semaglutide and liraglutide for alcohol use disorder

[Press-News.org] Cardiac resynchronization improves survival in heart failure patients
Study comparing 2 types of pacemakers finds clear benefits for certain patients