LBBB and heart failure are a common
combination. When LBBB co-exists with HF, it makes the weak heart beat in an
asynchronous fashion thus making it even more in-efficient. By reversing the
electrical phenomenon of LBBB by means of implanting a special pacemaker device
with 3 wires (A Bi-Ventricular Pacemaker) the electrical activation of the
heart can be made more synchronous (re-synchronization) which then will make
the mechanical function of the heart improve over a period of time.
The procedure involves implanting a pacemaker (the size of 3 ten-rupee coins) just below the collarbone. Three wires (leads) connected to the device monitor the heart rate to detect the heart’s own rhythm and deliver carefully timed electrical impulses to make the heart rhythm more organized.
Benefits
of CRT
Because CRT improves the heart’s efficiency
and increases blood flow, you will notice significant improvement in heart
failure symptoms – such as shortness of breath fairly straight away.
Clinical studies also suggest decreases in
hospitalization and morbidity as well as improvements in quality of life.
Who
is a candidate for CRT?
In general, CRT is for heart failure
patients with moderate to severe symptoms and whose left and right heart
chambers do not beat in unison as a result of an electrical conduction
disturbance called LBBB which will be obvious in your ECG.
However, CRT is not effective for everyone
and is not for those with mild heart failure symptoms, those with a preserved
ejection fraction where the heart is stiff but not weak, those who do not have
issues with the chambers not beating together. It is also not suitable for
patients who have not fully explored correcting the condition through
medication therapies. To date, studies show CRT to be equally effective for
both men and women.