Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy (CRT)

Pacemaker Restores Heartbeat Timing

Cardiac resynchronization therapy — or CRT — helps reduce symptoms for people who have heart failure or whose hearts don’t pump effectively. A pacemaker device is used to deliver CRT by restoring the regular timing pattern of the heartbeat.

Benefits of having a pacemaker can include improved survival, heart function, quality of life and exercise tolerance.
Cardiologists typically recommend CRT when:

• Someone has moderate to severe heart failure symptoms
• The pumping chambers (ventricles) of a person’s heart are not working together
• Tests show a weakened and enlarged heart
• Medicines and lifestyle changes don’t work well enough to control heart failure
  
  

Implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD)

Sometimes people benefit from pairing CRT with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD). An ICD detects and fixes irregular heartbeats that can be life-threatening with an electric shock when needed.

How CRT works (ICD)

Our cardiac electrophysiologists place the pacemaker under the skin in a minor surgical procedure. The device’s wires connect to the ventricles on each side of the heart, sending electrical signals that cause the ventricles to pump together as they should.

Is CRT right for you?

Not all people with heart failure are eligible for CRT.

If your heart doesn’t pump effectively, consult your cardiologist to learn whether CRT could benefit you.

Learn more about our heart rhythm services and find a cardiologist near you.