Efficacy of cardiac resynchronization with defibrillator insertion in patients undergone coronary artery bypass graft: A cohort study of cardiac function

INTRODUCTION: Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) is a proven therapeutic method in selected patients with heart failure and systolic dysfunction which increases left ventricular function and patient survival. We designed a study that included patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft (CABG), with and without CRT-defibrillator (CRT-D) inserting and then measured its effects on these two groups. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between 2010 and 2013, we conducted a prospective cohort study on 100 coronary artery disease patients where candidate for CABG. Then based on the receiving CRT-D, the patients were categorized in two groups; Group 1 (n = 48, with CRT-D insertion before CABG) and Group 2 (n = 52 without receiving CRT-D). Thereafter both of these groups were followed-up at 1–3 months after CABG for mortality, hospitalization, atrial fibrillation (AF), echocardiographic assessment, and New York Heart Association (NYHA) class level. RESULTS: The mean age of participants in Group 1 (48 male) and in Group 2 (52 male) was 58 ± 13 and 57 ± 12 respectively. Difference between Groups 1 and 2 in cases of mean left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) changes and NYHA class level was significant (P > 0.05). Hospitalization (P = 0.008), mortality rate (P = 0.007), and AF were significantly different between these two groups. CONCLUSIONS: The results showed that the increase in LVEF and patient's improvement according to NYHA-class was significant in the first group, and readmission, mortality rate and AF was increased significantly in the second group.