The Open Drug Discovery Journal

, 2 : 33-35
Published online . DOI: 10.2174/1877381801002010033
Publisher ID: TODDISJ-2-33

Erythropoietin Levels in Cardiac Resynchronization Patients

Patrick Alexander , Ayad Jazrawi , Sarah Clifford , Martin Schmidt and Marcos Daccarett
Division of Cardiac Electrophysiology, University of Utah Health Sciences Center, 30 North 1900 East, Rm 4A100, Salt Lake City, UT 84132, USA

ABSTRACT

Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) is indicated in patients with advanced heart failure secondary to severe systolic impairment and refractory symptoms despite optimized medical treatment and evidence of electromechanical dyssynchrony with a QRS complex greater than 120 milliseconds (msec). Approximately 20%-30% of patients who receive CRT fail to respond with little improvement in subjective symptoms, functional capacity, and left ventricular indices. To date, there fails to be a serologic marker to adequately assess the degree of ventricular dyssynchrony and electro-mechanical dissociation. Increased levels of erythropoietin (EPO), a hematopoietic cytokine, has been demonstrated in patients with more advanced stages of heart failure and is associated with an increase in mortality and hospital re-admission. A recent study demonstrated a significant response to CRT in patients with higher baseline EPO levels (> 25mU/mL) with improvements in cardiac function and reduced heart failure symptoms. The presence of elevated EPO levels in addition to traditional determinants of cardiac dyssynchrony may effectively predict those that will benefit from CRT.

Keywords:

Erythropoietin levels, biventricular, pacing, CRT.