The research revealed that blacks were less likely than whites to receive CRT -- even though blacks are twice as likely to suffer from heart failure as whites. Researchers also discovered that older, sicker patients and those who lived in the Northeast were less likely to receive CRT than were younger patients who lived in other parts of the country.

"Our findings parallel previous studies evaluating adoption of new medical technology in that they show racial disparity in who is receiving the newest therapies," says Piccini. "In contrast to previous studies, however, we didn't find any gender gap in the use of CRT." The study showed that roughly equal numbers of men and women received CRT for the first time during their hospital stay.


In addition, clinical guidelines recommend that CRT be reserved for patients with left ventricular ejection fractions (the numerical measure reflecting how much blood leaves the ventricle with each heartbeat) of 35 percent or less. However, the study showed that about 10 percent of the time, physicians were prescribing CRT for patients who had ejection fractions above 35 percent.

"We will be watching these trends closely," says Adrian Hernandez, M.D., a cardiologist at Duke and senior author of the study. "CRT is an effective therapy for many patients, and this study suggests clinical practice varies greatly compared to what it should be, according to recommended guidelines."

Adapted from a press release by Duke University.

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