Reduction in hospitalization rates following cardiac resynchronisation therapy in cardiac failure: experience from a single centre

AIMS: Frequent, lengthy hospital admissions for congestive cardiac failure (CCF) result in excessive health care costs. Cardiac resynchronisation therapy (CRT) is a novel treatment option for patients with CCF and associated cardiac conduction defects. We investigated whether CRT resulted in significant improvements in New York Heart Association (NYHA) symptom class, exercise tolerance, and hospitalization rates in such patients. METHODS: Twenty-seven patients who underwent CRT in a single centre were studied, with NYHA symptom class, exercise tolerance and hospitalization rates noted in the 12 months prior to and following CRT. RESULTS: Following 12 months of CRT, NYHA symptom class improved from 3.3 +/- 0.5 to 2.1 +/- 0.4 (P < 0.05). Exercise tolerance, assessed by 6 min hall walk test increased by 64% from 195 +/- 114 m to 320 +/- 85 m (P = 0.007). Days in hospital for stabilisation of cardiac failure decreased by 98% from 472 to 9 days (P < 0.001). Significant hospitalization cost savings of 201,684 euros were calculated, with an overall saving of 12,420 euros. CONCLUSIONS: These data demonstrate that CRT results in significant improvement in clinical parameters, and considerable reductions in hospital admissions, and costs in patients with CCF.