Living a happy, healthy life is the goal. But, if you are not healthy, sometimes it is difficult to be happy. That is why cardiologists at Prairie Heart Institute - MHC, use the biventricular pacemaker to help patients with congestive heart failure (CHF).
People with CHF struggle with everyday tasks, decreasing their quality of life. The heart muscle is unable to pump enough blood to meet the body’s needs, which causes the individual to experience shortness of breath and a lack of energy.
The biventricular pacemaker, helps patients with CHF. “My patients have seen an improvement, are feeling better, and some with leg edema are improving, too,” said Maria Falcone, MD, who performed the first biventricular pacemaker procedure with Cesar Coello, MD, in the cardiac catheterization lab at Memorial Hospital of Carbondale. Coello and Falcone came to SIH through the partnership with Prairie Heart Institute, Springfield, and MHC.
In many heart failure patients, the walls of the left ventricle—the heart’s main pumping chamber—are no longer synchronized, or pumping together, as they normally would. Standard pacemakers pace a single chamber of the heart, while the biventricular pacemaker paces both of the lower chambers of the heart (the ventricles). This enables the device to stimulate the left and right ventricles simultaneously, which can enable the left ventricle to pump blood more efficiently.
A six-month study on heart failure patients demonstrated that biventricular pacing improved exercise capacity and improved ability to perform the activities of daily life. In addition, improvements were observed in several echocardiograms (EKGs) of patients that suggested improvement in certain heart functions. They pumped more efficiently, and there was an increase in left ventricular ejection fraction, which is the amount of blood the left ventricle pumps out per beat.
The procedure to implant biventricular pacemaker takes two to five hours, depending on the condition of the heart. The device utilizes three leads connected to the right ventricle, right atrium and left ventricle. The lead for the right goes directly into the chamber. The lead for the left is inserted through a vein called the coronary sinus and guided through to the lateral wall. The other end of the lead is attached to the pulse generator, which is placed under the skin just below the collarbone.
The benefits of the device are mainly improving quality of life. A lot of people with heart failure may feel better and have a better quality of life. It will improve their symptoms, which can improve their life and help them do the other things they need to do to get better.
Pphysicians providing services at SIH hospitals and is an independent contractor with privileges to admit and care for patients at the hospital.
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