CRT

• Cardiac Resynchronisation therapy:

  • It may therefore be necessary to fit individuals with pace-makers
  • Due to the extensive structural changes that is often seen in both ventricles patients may have cardiac resynchronisation therapy (CRT)
  • This basically means that both ventricles will be paced sometimes referred to be the more obvious term of bi-ventricular pacing
  • CRT recognises not just the difficulties depolarising a ventricle but also recognises that due to the irregular remodelling of the ventricles, depolarisation of the left and right ventricles could occur over significantly different time frames and hence go onto to contract out of concert with each other, which would result in ineffective pumping and exacerbate failure
  • CRT therefore ensures that depolarisation and contraction of left and right ventricles occur simultaneously and pumping is therefore optimise
• Cardiac Resynchronisation therapy pt2:

  • Some CRT systems are also capable of delivering defibrillating shocks when required combining both pace-maker and defibrillator properties
  • Such devices are denoted as CRT-D
  • Patients not fitted with a CRT-D device may be fitted with just a pacemaker, or a regular CRT or with an ICD according to need
• CRT pt 3:

  • a battery powered device that sends electrical signals to your heart in a coordinated manner
  • is surgically placed under skin, under the collarbone
  • is connected to your heart via wires called leads
  • used to:
  • regulate electrical signals
  • treat bundle branch block (electrical signals travelling to slowly through bundle branches, causing weak ventricular contractions) - common in chronic heart failure
  • can detect abnormal signals and sends regular signals to allow for coordinated contraction, increasing stroke volume