Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy in India
What is CRT Device ?
CRT is a clinically proven treatment option for some individuals with heart failure. A CRT device sends small electrical impulses to both lower chambers of the heart to help them beat together in a more synchronized pattern. This may improve the heart’s ability to pump blood and oxygen to your body.
Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) can relieve CHF symptoms by improving the timing of the heart’s contractions, or beats, which protects patients from abnormally slow and fast heart rhythms.
CRT uses a biventricular pacemaker (or defibrillator) with two wires in the lower chambers of the heart to overcome this slow or abnormal conduction. By delivering simultaneous or near simultaneous electrical impulses to both lower heart chambers (the right and left ventricles), it causes the heart to beat in a more synchronized, efficient manner. Biventricular pacing improves the symptoms of about two-thirds of the patients undergoing this procedure and also improves survival.
As people with heart muscle damage also may have dangerously fast heart rhythms, biventricular pacing is often combined with a defibrillator.
A CRT system is made up of two parts.
The heart device, which is actually a tiny computer, plus a battery, contained in a small titanium metal case that is about the size of a pocket watch.
Insulated wires, called leads, that are implanted to carry information signals from your heart to the heart device and to carry electrical impulses to your heart.
After the device system is implanted, an external computer, called a programmer, located at your doctor's office or clinic can be used to program the heart device and retrieve information from your heart device that will assist your doctor in your heart failure treatment. Your doctor will schedule periodic monitoring which may be done remotely if physician deems appropriate.
Cardiac resynchronization therapy in heart failure
Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) is an effective therapy in patients with heart failure and dyssynchrony identified as a prolonged QRS duration.Benefits include improved exercise tolerance, reduced remodeling (reduction in LV chamber size and measures of mitral regurgitation), reduced mortality, and reduced need for hospitalization in patients in sinus rhythm.
Information on this site should not be used as a substitute for talking with your doctor. Always talk with your doctor about diagnosis and treatment information.
CRT
Type of CRT Devices
There are two types of CRT Devices. Depending on your heart failure condition, a Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy Pacemaker (CRT-P) or a Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy Defibrillator (CRT-D) may be indicated.
How does a CRT device work?
The procedure to put in a resynchronization device is a little more complicated than putting in a regular pacemaker or defibrillator. The extra or third wire required is usually positioned in a very small vein that goes to the left side of the heart. Although most people have a vein that can be used for this purpose, this is not true of everyone. Therefore, occasionally this extra wire is placed on the outside of the heart during a surgical procedure or at the time of another heart operation such as valve surgery or a coronary bypass operation.
Like all pacemakers and defibrillators, biventricular devices require monitoring to be certain that they are functioning in the best possible way. Their batteries also gradually wear down, and they need to be changed – generally a small operation – every 5-7 years.