Abstract
Introduction: Older people may be less likely to receive cardiac resynchronisation therapy (CRT) for the management of chronic heart failure. We aimed to describe differences in clinical response, complications, and subsequent outcomes following CRT implantation in older patients when compared to those that were younger.
Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of consecutive patients implanted with CRT between March 2008 and July 2017. We recorded complications, symptomatic and echocardiographic response, hospitalisations for heart failure, and all-cause mortality comparing patients aged <70, 70-79, and ≥80 years.
Results: During the study period, 574 patients (median age 76 years [IQR 68-81], 73.3% male) received CRT. Patients aged ≥80 years had worse symptoms at baseline and were more likely to have co-morbidities. Although the provision of guideline-directed medical therapy for heart failure was less optimal in those ≥80 years old, left ventricular function was similar at baseline. Older patients were less likely to receive CRT-defibrillators (which were twice as likely to require generator replacement) compared to CRT-pacemakers. Complications were infrequent and not more common in older patients. Age was not a predictor of symptomatic or echocardiographic response to CRT (67.2%, 71.2%, and 62.6% responders in patients aged <70, 70-79, and ≥80 years, respectively; p=0.43) and time to first heart failure hospitalisation was similar across all groups (p=0.28). Finally, estimated 10-year survival was lower for older patients (49.9%, 23.9%, and 6.8% for patients aged <70, 70-79, and ≥80 years, respectively; p<0.001).
Conclusion: The benefits of CRT were consistent in selected older patients (≥80 years) despite a greater burden of co-morbidities and less optimal provision of guideline-directed medical therapy. These findings support the use of CRT in an aging population.