Depression and Severe Heart Failure: Benefits of Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy

Impact of Depressive Symptoms on All-Cause Mortality in Patients with Congestive Heart Failure After Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy

PURPOSE

to assess the association between depression and all-cause mortality in patients with congestive heart failure (CHF) after cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We enrolled in this study 156 patients (mean age 55.3±9.6 years) with CHF and implanted devices for CRT. Mean duration of follow-up was 51.6±33.4 months. The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) was used to evaluate depressive symptoms (DS); DS were considered absent for a score 0-9, mild to moderate - 10-18, severe - ≥19. For assessment of association of DS and mortality we used multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression model with estimation of hazard ratios (HR) with 95 % confidence intervals (95 %CI).

RESULTS

Average Beck Depression Inventory score was 12.4±8.3. In 66 patients (42.3 %) there were no DS, 57 patients (36.5 %) had mild, and 33 (21.2 %) - severe DS. These groups did not differ by main clinical-functional and laboratory indicators. Among individuals without DS prevailed men (90.9 vs. 69.7 % among those with severe DS, p=0.007). Hypercholesterolemia was more frequent in patients with DS (63.3 vs. 43.9 % in patients without DS, p=0.02). During follow-up 33 patients died (21.2 %). Adjusted HR of death from all-causes for DS score as continuous parameter was 1.05, 95 % CI 1.01-1.09, p=0.02. Patients without DS were used as reference (HR=1.0) in analysis of categorical indicator. HR was 1.08, 95 % CI 0.46-2.54, p=0.9 in patients with mild, and 2.92, 95 % CI 1.17-7.32, p=0.02 - with severe DS.

CONCLUSION

DS were associated with gender and hypercholesterolemia. Severe DS were independently associated with all-cause mortality in patients with CHF and implanted CRT devices.

The association between cardiac resynchronization therapy response and sexual activity in patients with heart failure

BACKGROUND

Sexual activity is an important indicator of quality of life and is significantly impaired in patients with heart failure (HF). Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) has positive effects on cardiac dysfunction and endothelial dysfunction that lead to erectile dysfunction (ED). We aimed to evaluate whether CRT may improve sexual activity in patients with HF.

METHODS

In total, 136 patients (mean age 61.8 ± 12.8 years) were evaluated for the study. All patients filled the Sexual Health Inventory for Men (SHIM) questionnaire for evaluation of their erectile functions before CRT device implantation. One hundred eighty days after CRT device implantation, the patients were re-evaluated with SHIM questionnaire.

RESULTS

In the whole study population, SHIM test scores were significantly increased after CRT (12.99 ± 3.22 vs. 18.03 ± 5.00; p<0.001). The patients were divided into two groups according to the CRT response. The increase in SHIM test scores was significantly more in the response (+) group than in the response (-) group [response (+) group: 6.94 ± 3.36; p<0.001 vs. response (-) group: 0.81 ± 1.77; p = 0.465]. A positive CRT response was found to be an independent predictor of SHIM score (p<0.001).

CONCLUSION

Our study showed that CRT had positive effects on ED of patients with HF.

The Incidence, Clinical Significance, and Treatment Effects of Depression in Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy Recipients

Objectives: Chronic heart failure (HF) is associated with significantly increased prevalence of depression. The aim of the study was to assess the incidence and clinical impact of depression as well as the effectiveness of depression treatment in HF patients. Methods: A prospective interventional trial included 285 consecutive cardiac resynchronization therapy recipients. Patients underwent a psychiatric examination at the time of implantation and then it was routinely repeated at 3, 6, and 12 months after the procedure, and every 6 months thereafter. One hundred and thirty-five (47.4%) patients with depression were included in the depression group, whereas the control group was comprised of 150 patients free of depression. Sixty-eight (50.4%) subjects received antidepressants (treated group), whereas the observational group had 67 (49.6%) depressed patients who refused to take antidepressants. Results: Depression remission was achieved in 51 (75.0%) patients from the treated group. Long-term mortality and HF hospitalization rates were significantly higher in the depression group than in the control group (20.7 vs. 11.3% and 32.6 vs. 19.2%, respectively). However, remission from depression was associated with a 40% reduction in the relative risk of major adverse cardiac events (MACE). Conclusions: Patients with HF and concomitant depression are at higher risk of MACE compared with those free of depression. Effective antidepressant treatment may significantly improve long-term outcomes in this population.

Improving depression and reducing cardiac events: which is the chicken and which is the egg?

OBJECTIVE

To examine the assumption that depression leads to recurrent cardiac events and death in those with heart disease.

METHODS

Consideration of alternative perspectives and discussion of the literature.

RESULTS

It is not clear from studies like MIND-IT, ENRICHD or SADHART whether depression treatment improves cardiac outcomes. In these studies, recurrent cardiac events and death were recorded 6months or more after study entry, but shorter-term cardiac outcomes (e.g., stabilization of plaque prone to rupture and thrombosis or changes in areas of myocardium prone to life-threatening arrhythmia) were not assessed. Although the prevailing view is that shorter-term improvement in depression is necessary to improve cardiovascular outcomes, the possibility that shorter-term improvement in cardiac status might result in reduced symptoms of depression has not been examined. If correct, this possibility might explain why studies have shown that patients whose depression improves also exhibit improved cardiovascular outcomes and lower mortality, even though randomization to the depression intervention in these studies had no effect.

CONCLUSION

It is not clear whether improving depression comes first and reduced cardiac events follows or whether patients whose cardiac status improves also exhibit improvement in depression. Which is the chicken and which the egg is more than just a philosophical question, since it may affect the direction of future research in this field, and even how we approach the care of patients with heart disease and depression.