Left ventricular partitioning in systolic heart failure subjects: addressing a mechanistic void with current therapies

ICD patients with narrow QRS, CRT non-responders, and functional MR patients all have one mechanistic failure mode that is left untreated - the scar left behind following an MI. ICDs, CRTs, and MitraClip implantation are all well-proven therapies, but the Parachute device may address the mechanistic void that remains after each of these therapies has been used and may further improve patients' outcomes. A pooled analysis of 134 subjects was conducted using the first three clinical trials which included subjects with symptomatic ischaemic HF with LV wall motion abnormalities secondary to MI, and an LV ejection fraction less than 40%. The two-year cumulative mortality rate was 12.9%, with 8.7% in the first year and an increment of 4.2% in the second, which is a 53% reduction as compared to the first year. There is a significant proportion of patients with ischaemic heart failure being excluded from cardiac rhythm management (CRT, etc.), leaving a large treatment gap until mechanical support devices (LVAD) or heart transplantation in progressive heart failure are indicated. Along with other heart failure devices, Parachute may be a useful treatment modality, addressing a mechanistic void in the treatment of this disease. Current data support improvements in haemodynamics, functional capacity, six-minute walk distance, quality of life and a promising decline in mortality two years after Parachute implantation.