New data from Medtronic give further support to the clinical and economic benefits of cardiac resynchronization therapy devices for the treatment of heart failure, including a significant decline in all 30-day readmissions following heart failure hospitalizations.

The data were pooled from five randomized, controlled Medtronic trials — CARE-HF, MIRACLE, MIRACLE-ICD, RAFT and REVERSE — totaling 3,872 patients. Among the 678 patients with an index heart failure hospitalization, those treated with CRT has 26 percent fewer hospital readmissions than those who received other therapies. Patients with more advanced Class III/IV heart failure saw a 31 percent reduction in readmissions, while those with Class II heart failure were readmitted at 10 percent lower rate, Medtronic said.

Heart failure patients who used CRT at an earlier stage of their disease also lived longer and used fewer hospital resources than those who did not, the data show.

According to the company, 1 million people with heart failure are hospitalized each year; a quarter of them will be readmitted within 30 days of discharge. The readmission rate at six months is 50 percent, and mortality rates are close to 30 percent following hospitalization for heart failure, the company said.

CRT is designed to help the heart pump in a coordinated rhythm. A small device is implanted in the upper chest and sends small electrical pulses to stimulate the heart muscle.

The data were presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions in Chicago on Nov. 16. — Kellen Owings

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