Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: Novosibirsk State University –
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Employees Institute of Medicine and Medical Technologies of Novosibirsk State University (IMMT NSU) Participants in an international Russian-Kazakh study analyzing patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) who were or were not prescribed cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT). The Russian portion of the project was led by Anton Yurkovsky, a resident at the Institute of Medical and Mechanics of the Novosibirsk State University.
Current guidelines emphasize the importance of a comprehensive approach—integrating drug and device therapy to maximize the lifespan of patients with CHF. Professor and MD Natalia Lozhkina, one of the study participants, comments on the practical impact of these strategies:
"Over the past decades, a number of medications have been developed (ACE inhibitors or sartans, beta-blockers, diuretics, and modern combination therapies), which, taken together, have increased the life expectancy of patients with CHF by approximately six to eight years. However, this is where pharmacological options are limited. The next step in treatment is cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT)—the implantation of a special device that synchronizes the ventricles. This increases the efficiency of cardiac contractions and improves patient well-being," explained Natalia Lozhkina.
In Russia, cardiac resynchronization therapy remains inaccessible to most patients, while in Kazakhstan there are more opportunities for its use.
Scientists from NSU, together with colleagues from a medical center in Almaty, compared clinical, demographic, instrumental, biochemical, and drug treatment data in patients with CHF with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction in several hundred patients, both those who underwent CRT and those who did not, over a five-year follow-up period. Based on this data, the study authors developed a unique approach for assessing the five-year prognosis in patients with severe, end-stage CHF.
"By comparing data from Russian and Kazakh patients, we convincingly demonstrated that cardiac resynchronization therapy with defibrillator function, especially in patients with an extremely low left ventricular ejection fraction, can extend their lives by an additional five years or more. This period may be sufficient to wait until their turn for a donor heart transplant. Simply put, this treatment significantly improves the survival rate of such patients, of whom, I repeat, there are quite a few," noted Natalia Lozhkina.
The study results will soon be published in a number of high-impact scientific journals and presented at a meeting of the regional branch of the Russian Society of Cardiology. According to the scientists, this will significantly increase the chances of including cardiac resynchronization therapy in the list of services available under the compulsory medical insurance system in our country. The researchers also plan to use the database they created for other research projects related to assessing the effectiveness of various approaches to treating CHF.
Chronic heart failure (CHF) is a clinical syndrome characterized by typical symptoms (shortness of breath, fatigue, edema) caused by structural and/or functional abnormalities of the heart, which lead to ineffective blood supply to the body at rest or under stress. According to the European Society of Cardiology, CHF is associated with a significant reduction in quality of life, a high risk of rehospitalization, and early mortality: without treatment of the underlying disorder, approximately 50% of patients die within four years of diagnosis, and in severe cases, more than half die within the first year. Along with its high mortality rate, CHF remains a leading cause of disability, significantly reducing life expectancy and leading to significant loss of active working years due to progressive deterioration of physical and social adaptation.
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