Cardiac resynchronisation therapy in patients with heart failure and a normal QRS duration: the RESPOND study

Objectives To evaluate the clinical response to cardiac resynchronisation therapy (CRT) in patients with heart failure and a normal QRS duration ( Setting Single centre. Patients 60 patients with heart failure and a normal QRS duration receiving optimal pharmacological treatment (OPT). Interventions Patients were randomly assigned to CRT (n=29) or to a control group (OPT, n=31). Cardiovascular magnetic resonance was used in order to avoid scar at the site of left ventricular (LV) lead deployment. Main outcome measures The primary end point was a change in 6 min walking distance (6-MWD). Other measures included a change in quality of life scores (Minnesota Living with Heart Failure questionnaire) and New York Heart Association class. Results In 93% of implantations, the LV lead was deployed over non-scarred myocardium. At 6 months, the 6-MWD increased with CRT compared with OPT (p Conclusions CRT leads to an improvement in symptoms, exercise capacity and quality of life in patients with heart failure and a normal QRS duration. (ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00480051.)