Invasive treatment of patients with cardiomyopathy: CRT-ICD better than ICD alone

Abstract

In the December issue of our journal, special attention is paid to the underlying mechanisms and various manifestations of cardiomyopathy. In particular, new pathways in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with cardiomyopathy have been addressed. Of the modern management strategies, cardiac resynchronisation therapy (CRT) has become a mainstay in the treatment of patients both with ischaemic and nonischaemic cardiomyopathies. CRT induces progressive reverse left ventricular (LV) remodelling and delays disease progression in patients with NYHA class III or IV heart failure. The question whether CRT is also beneficial in patients with NYHA class I and II was recently addressed in the MADIT-CRT trial (Multicenter Automatic Defibrillator Implantation Trial – Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy).