Dr Vanita Arora - A Miracle Therapy for Heart Failure Cases

Dr Vanita Arora – Chronic heart failure (CHF) occurs when the heart is unable to pump enough blood to sustain adequate circulation in the body’s tissues.

The patient complains of fatigue, shortness of breath (dyspnoea), swelling of the feet and ankles (Edema) and is unable to perform day-to-day activates.

A patient with heart failure has problems with the electrical system. The synchronization of two lower pumping chambers is compromised by a condition known as bundle branch block (BBB). A bundle branch block occurs when the conduction of the electrical impulse to the ventricles is blocked or slowed down. This causes the main pumping chambers of the heart to become “out of sync.” Read More: (A Miracle Therapy for Heart Failure Cases)

When the heart loses its coordination, it compromises its pumping action. This limits the supply of fresh, oxygenated blood that the body as well as the heart itself needs. The heart slowly gets weaker and the heart muscle thins out and the heart size increases, which worsens the overall situation. 

Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT), an innovative practice, can relieve CHF symptoms by improving the coordination of the heart’s contractions. A CRT pacemaker is a more advanced version of a standard pacemaker. It’s about the size of a pocket watch, and once implanted in the chest it improves the coordinated contraction pattern in the left ventricle, improving the overall efficiency of the heart.

In addition to the two leads (right atrium and right ventricle) used in a common pacemaker, the CRT device has a third lead that is positioned in a vein on the surface of the left ventricle.

The device is implanted beneath the skin, usually below the collarbone. The CRT pacemaker sends out electrical impulses get the heart’s pumping coordinated again.

The allows the CRT device to simultaneously stimulate the left and right ventricales and restore a coordinated, or “synchronous,” squeezing pattern. This is sometimes referred to as “bi-ventricular pacing” because both ventricles are electrically stimulated (paced) at the same time.

CRT is recommended for people with severe symptoms of dyspnoea. The patient is on the maximum tolerated doses of medicines.

Many people ask about the difference between  the traditional pacemakers and the pacemakers that are designed to treat heart failure. Traditional or standard pacemakers are used to help people with a slow heartbeat. They have two leads going to one upper chambers and one lower chamber of the heart. Traditional pacemakers don’t coordinate (resynchronize) the functioning of the main pumping chamber of the heart (the left ventricle). So CRT is a highly sophisticated and technically advanced therapy compared to a conventional pacemaker.

The ideal candidate for a CRT device is someone with the following:

·         Moderate-to-severe CHF symptoms despite lifestyle changes and medication.

·         A weakened and enlarged heart muscle

·         A significant electrical delay in the lower pumping chambers (bundle branch block)

 

Dr. Vanita Arora is an experienced senior consultant of Cardiac Electrophysiologist and Cardiologist with Max Group, Saket New Delhi.