New Heart Therapy More Effective in Women

A new study has revealed that a therapy to prevent heart failure by using a defibrillator to shock the heart back into synchronized rhythm is twice as effective in women as in men. The cardiac resynchronization therapy with defibrillator (CRT-D) has led to 72% reduction in death among female patients. Women showed a 70% reduction in heart failure compared to 35% in men. It strengthens the pumping ability of the heart and coordinates its electrical activity.

This is the first time that a heart treatment offers greater benefit to women than men. The treatment may work better in women because the risks for heart failure are different in men and women. Women are likely to have heart disease due to inflammation, while men due to coronary artery disease, which results in blocked arteries. Researchers stated that the finding was unexpected but were extremely important. This device has been approved to be used in US for patients with severe heart failure or in patients with mild heart failure to prevent them from advancing to severe heart failure.

Researchers from the University of Rochester Medical Center studied the effectiveness of CRT-D in 1,820 patients in Canada, Europe and the United States and found that CRT-D combines the benefits of implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) and cardiac resynchronization therapy. The ICDs prevent sudden, irregular rhythm-related cardiac death while the resynchronization therapy boosts the functioning of the heart and reduces the risk of heart failure and related symptoms. The CRT-D that has been developed by Boston Scientific stimulates the heart improving the contraction pattern. Lead author of the study, Arthur J. Moss said, "It's not that men did poorly in the trial, but rather, women had really fantastic results, likely due to the type of heart disease we see more commonly in women."

Source: Medindia