04/02/2019
My doctor said I need a biventricular pacemaker or defibrillator. What is that?
The main pumping chamber of the heart is the left ventricle. But the effectiveness of that pump is compromised if the sides of the left ventricle don’t squeeze at exactly the same time. This lack of synchronization not only affects the output of the heart, but can actually lead to progressive weakening and enlargement of the heart. When that lack of synchronization is because of a delay of the electrical signal directing the heartbeat, it can be corrected by a special pacemaker, known as a biventricular pacemaker. This is also referred to as cardiac resynchronization therapy. This pacing technique can be applied to both pacemakers and implantable defibrillators.