Black and Hispanic Patients Less Likely to Receive Treatment for Advanced Heart Failure
New study published in the HeartRhythm Journal reveals differences in heart failure treatment based on ethnic and racial disparities

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Ann-Marie White
Heart Rhythm Society
(202) 464-3476
awhite@hrsonline.org

WASHINGTON, DC — New research reveals that black and Hispanic patients who were eligible for cardiac resynchronization therapy with defibrillator (CRT-D) were less likely to receive therapy than eligible white patients. The study also found that both minority groups were more likely to meet established criteria and white patients were more likely to receive CRT-D outside of published guidelines. The new study published in the March edition of the HeartRhythm Journal, the official journal of the Heart Rhythm Society, is the first of its kind to examine and compare Hispanic, white and black patients within a national study population. Read full text of study »

The national study examined 108,341 participants in more than 1,000 hospitals enrolled in the National Cardiovascular Data Registry (NCDR) from January 2005 through April 2007. The NCDR ICD Registry™, developed in collaboration with the American College of Cardiology and the Heart Rhythm Society, was examined for racial and ethnic disparities in CRT-D implantation. Steven A. Farmer, MD, Cardiovascular Division a the Hospital of the university of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, reviewed the number of patients who received an ICD or CRT-D and among them, the number of patients who met established guidelines. Of the 108,341 registry participants:

• 22,205 patients met guidelines to receive an ICD or CRT-D
  
• 27,165 patients received CRT-D therapy, more than the actual number of people who were eligible
  

Analysis of the registry data reveals racial disparities within the study population. Results conclude that CRT-eligible black and Hispanic patients were less likely to receive CRT-D than were white patients. A substantial proportion of patients received CRT-D outside of published guidelines, although black and Hispanic patients were more likely to meet all eligibility criteria.

“These results reinforce a number of questions about how race and ethnicity can impact who receives advanced treatment for heart failure,” stated lead author Dr. Farmer. “It is very surprising that there are a significant number of ICD patients who meet the required criteria for CRT-D and are not receiving the therapy, while many patients who receive the treatment fail to meet those same guidelines.”

The results reflect unexplained ethnic differences in treatment for patients with advanced heart failure. The research findings suggest an important opportunity to improve care by expanding access to CRT-D therapy for eligible minority patients.

For more information about this study, please visit www.heartrhythmjournal.com.

About HeartRhythm Journal
HeartRhythm, the official journal of the Heart Rhythm Society, provides rapid publication of the most important science developments in the field of arrhythmias and cardiovascular electrophysiology (EP). As the official journal of the Heart Rhythm Society, HeartRhythm publishes both basic and clinical subject matter of scientific excellence devoted to the EP of the heart and blood vessels, as well as therapy. The journal is the only EP publication serving the entire electrophysiology community from basic to clinical academic researchers, private practitioners, technicians, industry and trainees. HeartRhythm has a new impact factor of 4.203 for 2007 and ranks 10th out of 72 cardiovascular medicine journals by the Institute for Scientific Information. Additionally, the journal ranks seventh in the Immediacy Index among cardiology publications. It is also the official publication of the Cardiac Electrophysiology Society.