Clinical factors affecting long term survival in patients with systolic heart failure and cardiac resynchronization therapy in advanced age.

Identification of demographic and clinical factors which influence prognosis is crucial in patients with heart failure and cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT).

MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study included 223 patients with CRT (177 males), mean age 64.6±9.7 years, including 98 patients (43.9%) with defibrillation function (CRT-D) and 58 (26.0%) with permanent atrial fibrillation (AF). Of 223, n=72 patients (32.3%) had CRT implanted after the age of 70. The mean follow-up was 37±19 months. Mortality rates and other clinical factors according to age were assessed in multivariable analysis of CRT patients follow-up.

RESULTS: Total mortality was 30.9%. Mortality rate was similar in subjects aged ≤70 and >70 (HR:1.41, 95%CI:0.70-2.82). The female gender was the strongest clinical factor of best prognosis (HR:0.12,95%CI:0.03-0.59, p=0.0088). Lower mortality was also associated with higher left ventricular ejection fraction (HR:0.94,95%CI:0.90-0.98, p=0.0031). Coronary disease (HR:2.09,95%CI:1.10-3.99, p=0.0245), chronic kidney disease (HR:3.00, 95%CI:1.47-6.12, p=0.0024)and higher NYHA class (HR:2.28, 95%CI:1.18-4.40, p=0.0137) were factors of increased mortality. For patients >70 years old, gender was not a survival determining factor and mortality was lower in regard to hypertension or permanent AF. Only chronic kidney disease was significantly associated with higher mortality in patients >70 years old (HR:6.74, 95%CI:1.90-23.9). The use of defibrillation function had no influence on survival rate at any age.

CONCLUSIONS: In patients with cardiac resynchronization therapy female gender was not associated with mortality and was the factor of better prognosis. For subjects aged >70 a worse prognosis was related to renal insufficiency.