To print: Select File and then Print from your browser's menu --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Title: US Hospitals Do Not Follow Guidelines for CRT Use, Says Report URL: http://www.pslgroup.com/dg/22895A.htm Doctor's Guide August 14, 2008
DALLAS -- August 14, 2008 -- Cardiac resynchronisation therapy (CRT) can help heart failure patients' hearts beat more efficiently and effectively, but the therapy is not used in US hospitals as much as it should be, and often it is not used as recommended in clinical trials and published guidelines, according to a report in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association. "Studies have shown that, when used in combination with optimal medical therapy, CRT is associated with a 50% reduction in hospitalisation for heart failure and a 36% reduction in mortality," said study author Adrian F. Hernandez, MD, MHS, Duke Clinical Research Institute, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina. "We did this study to analyse if and how this new therapy is being used in US hospitals." Dr. Hernandez and colleagues analysed the American Heart Association's Get With The Guidelines patient registry, which included 33,898 heart failure patient admissions at 228 hospitals from January 2005 through September 2007. They looked at whether CRT therapy was present at discharge, the types of patients receiving the therapy, and patterns of use at hospitals. While rates varied greatly from hospital to hospital, 12.4% of the hospitalised heart failure population in the registry was discharged with CRT. "That's a small percentage when you consider that we estimate 30% to 50% of hospitalised patients with heart failure were eligible for CRT based on previous studies," Dr. Hernandez said. Dr. Hernandez also noted that, although clinical trials have shown benefit from CRT for patients with left ventricular ejection fraction, the average use of CRT among hospitals was only 14.3% of these patients. The study sends a clear message that hospitals need to have systematic practices to employ best evidence, including treating patients with CRT, Dr. Hernandez said. SOURCE: American Heart Association --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright © 1999 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of P\S\L content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of P\S\L. P\S\L shall not be liable for any errors, omissions or delays in this content or any other content on its sites, newsletters or other publications, nor for any decisions or actions taken in reliance on such content. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This news story was printed from *Doctor's Guide to the Internet* located at http://www.docguide.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to News Story Page This site is maintained by webmaster@pslgroup.com Please contact us with any comments, problems or bugs. All contents Copyright (c) 1998 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved.