Effect of Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy on Inflammation in Congestive Heart Failure: A Review

Congestive heart failure is associated with increased levels of several inflammatory mediators, and animal studies have shown that infusion of a number of cytokines can induce heart failure. However, several drugs with proven efficacy in heart failure have failed to affect inflammatory mediators, and anti-inflammatory therapy in heart failure patients has thus far been disappointing. Hence, to what extent heart failure is caused by or responsible for the increased inflammatory burden in the patient is still unclear. Over the past couple of decades, resynchronization therapy with a biventricular pacemaker has emerged as an effective treatment in a subset of heart failure patients, reducing both morbidity and mortality. Such treatment has also been shown to affect the inflammation associated with heart failure. In this study, we review recent data on the association between heart failure and inflammation, and in particular how resynchronization therapy can affect the inflammatory process.