Effectiveness of multipoint cardiac resynchronizing therapy in heart failure: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

BACKGROUND Cardiac resynchronization therapy is an important validated technique for patients with dyssynchrony and heart failure. However, the response rate to conventional resynchronization is approximately 50%; therefore, new techniques and schedules have emerged. This study aimed to evaluate the different clinical and echocardiographic variables of conventional versus multipoint cardiac resynchronization therapy. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHOD A systematic review was conducted of randomized clinical trials in the PubMed, Cochrane, and Embase databases on cardiac resynchronization intervention with multipoint stimulation clinical and echocardiographic outcomes evaluated before and 3 months after the intervention. RESULTS Three studies (N = 139) were ultimately selected, and 100% of patients had a New York Heart Association functional class of II-IV, QRS > 120 ms, and a left ventricular ejection fraction < 35%. Significantly greater improvement was observed in the functional class of patients who underwent multipoint versus conventional therapy. The final systolic volume and ejection fraction improved in the multipoint group, but the difference was not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS The literature lacks sufficient randomized controlled studies to enable conclusions regarding cardiac resynchronization therapy responses using different strategies. Moreover, the improvement in functional class in the multipoint pacing group involved few patients and had slight statistical relevance.