Indications and Guidelines
Recommendation for Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy in patients with severe systolic heart failure. Download guidelines (PDF, 566 KB).
Class I Recommendations
CRT with or without ICD therapy is indicated for the treatment of heart failure in patients with*:
- NYHA Functional Class III or ambulatory Class IV heart failure symptoms
- LVEF ≤ 35%
- QRS duration ≥ 120 ms
- Sinus rhythm
- Optimal recommended medical therapy
(Level of Evidence: A)
ICD therapy is indicated in patients*:
Level of Evidence: A
- With LVEF ≤ 35% due to prior MI who are at least 40 days post-MI and are in NYHA Functional Class II or III
- With LV dysfunction due to prior MI who are at least 40 days post-MI, have an LVEF ≤ 30%, and are in NYHA Functional Class I
- Who are survivors of cardiac arrest due to VF or hemodynamically unstable sustained VT after evaluation to define the cause of the event and to exclude any completely reversible causes
* Assuming patients are on chronic, optimal medical therapy and have a reasonable expectation of survival with good functional status for > 1 year.
Reference
- Epstein AE, DiMarco JP, Ellenbogen KA, et al. ACC/AHA/HRS 2008 Guidelines for Device-Based Therapy of Cardiac Rhythm Abnormalities: a report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Practice Guidelines (Writing Committee to Revise the ACC/AHA/NASPE 2002 Guideline Update for Implantation of Cardiac Pacemakers and Antiarrhythmia Devices): developed in collaboration with the American Association for Thoracic Surgery and Society of Thoracic Surgeons. Circulation. May 27, 2008;117(21):e350-408.
Class IIa Recommendations
CRT with or without an ICD is reasonable for treatment of heart failure in patients with*:
- NYHA Functional Class III or ambulatory Class IV heart failure symptoms
- LVEF ≤ 35%
- QRS duration >120 ms
- Atrial fibrillation
- Optimal recommended medical therapy
(Level of Evidence: B)
CRT with or without an ICD is reasonable for treatment of heart failure in patients with*:
- NYHA Functional Class III or ambulatory Class IV heart failure symptoms
- LVEF ≤ 35%
- Frequent dependence on ventricular pacing
- Optimal recommended medical therapy
(Level of Evidence: C)
ICD:
- With unexplained syncope, significant LV dysfunction, and nonischemic DCM
- With sustained VT and normal or near-normal ventricular function
- With catecholaminergic polymorphic VT who have syncope and/or documented sustained VT while receiving beta blockers
- For the prevention of SCD in patients with ARVD/C who have one or more risk factors for SCD
- With HCM who have one or more major risk factors for SCD
- With Brugada syndrome who have had syncope or documented VT that has not resulted in cardiac arrest
- With cardiac sarcoidosis, giant cell myocarditis, or Chagas disease
- For nonhospitalized patients awaiting transplantation
* Assuming patients are on chronic, optimal medical therapy and have a reasonable expectation of survival with good functional status for > 1 year.
Reference
- Epstein AE, DiMarco JP, Ellenbogen KA, et al. ACC/AHA/HRS 2008 Guidelines for Device-Based Therapy of Cardiac Rhythm Abnormalities: a report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Practice Guidelines (Writing Committee to Revise the ACC/AHA/NASPE 2002 Guideline Update for Implantation of Cardiac Pacemakers and Antiarrhythmia Devices): developed in collaboration with the American Association for Thoracic Surgery and Society of Thoracic Surgeons. Circulation. May 27, 2008;117(21):e350-408.
