Cardiac resynchronization therapy in chronic heart failure

Publication

Cardiac resynchronization therapy in chronic heart failure

Journal Paper/Review - Sep 30, 2006

Sticherling Christian, Schaer Beat, Coenen Martin, Kühne Michael, Ammann Peter, Osswald Stefan

Citation

Sticherling C, Schaer B, Coenen M, Kühne M, Ammann P, Osswald S. Cardiac resynchronization therapy in chronic heart failure. Swiss medical weekly : official journal of the Swiss Society of Infectious Diseases, the Swiss Society of Internal Medicine, the Swiss Society of Pneumology 2006; 136:611-7.

Type

Journal Paper/Review (English)

Journal

Swiss medical weekly : official journal of the Swiss Society of Infectious Diseases, the Swiss Society of Internal Medicine, the Swiss Society of Pneumology 2006; 136

Publication Date

Sep 30, 2006

Issn Print

1424-7860

Pages

611-7

Brief description/objective

Cardiac resynchronisation therapy (CRT) has emerged as a treatment option for patients with severe, drug-refractory heart failure and signs of intraventricular dyssynchrony. In clinical trials CRT reduced the overall mortality, improved symptoms, exercise tolerance, and left ventricular function, as compared with optimised medical therapy alone. One of the challenging fields in patient selection for CRT is to identify the 20-30% of heart failure patients with bundle branch block that will not respond to this novel therapy. Other fields of uncertainty, such as CRT in patients with atrial fibrillation or chronic right ventricular stimulation as well as the role of a back-up defibrillator will be discussed.