Defibrillators and cardiac resynchronization therapy as a bridge to cardiac transplantation.

摘要

Despite the positive impact of medical therapy, the burden of heart failure persists, with disease progression, frequent hospitalizations, and reduced survival. Mortality related to ventricular tachyarrhythmias and/or pump failure has led to the introduction of device therapy. Implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) and cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) have now been established as the standard of care in selected patients with chronic heart failure. CRT and ICDs offer the opportunity to reduce morbidity and increase survival in patients with drug-refractory heart failure, and to retard, if not prevent, development of end-stage heart failure requiring cardiac transplantation.