P8.9 EFFECT OF CARDIAC RESYNCHRONISATION THERAPY ON THE ARTERIAL STIFFNESS

Development of cardiac resynchronisation therapy (CRT) in recent years became a breakthrough in treatment of severe heart failure, as it improves exercise capacity, reduces a rate of hospitalisations due to heart failure exacerbation, and the mortality rate, as well as improves quality of patients’ life. However, data on CRT effects on a number of heart failure comorbidities remains scarce. The aim of this study was evaluation of CRT effect on the arterial stiffness. Methods: The study covered a group of 55 patients (45 men and 10 women; mean age 67.04 ± 9.13 years) with chronic heart failure stable for at least last 3 months, in the NYHA functional class III or IV despite optimal pharmacotherapy, with a reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) ≤ 35%, wide QRS complexes ≥ 120 ms. Before the resynchronisation system was implanted and after twelve months of observation arterial stiffness was evaluated with the carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV). Results: Statistically significant changes weren’t demonstrated for carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity value, only a tendency for its reduction (11,73 ± 2,37 m/s vs 11,32 ± 2,78 m/s, p = 0,08). Conclusions: After the resynchronisation system implantation, no statistically significant change in arterial stiffness was observed, only a trend towards its reduction.