New Pacemaker Helps Patients With CHF

BRIDGEPORT — Congestive heart failure patients at Bridgeport Hospital are getting an energy boost from a new type of pacemaker, the first mechanical device approved by the government for the treatment of their condition.

“Congestive heart failure patients who receive the new pacemaker typically experiences a noticeable improvement in their ability to exert themselves before tiring or developing shortness of breath,” says Dr Jeffrey Banker, who performed the first procedure at Bridgeport Hospital using the new pacemaker. “The pacemaker can help these patients become more active.”

Congestive heart failure (CHF) means that the heart muscle is unable to pump enough blood to meet the body’s needs. The blood begins to back up because the heart is not pumping well and the veins, tissues, and lungs become congested with fluid. The body cannot get rid of this fluid.

The most common cause of CHF is untreated high blood pressure. CHF can also be caused by damage to the heart muscle from a heart attack, infections, some medications, thyroid problems, and some vitamin deficiencies. Sometimes the heart muscle is injured because there is damage to the heart valves that may force the heart to work very hard to pump blood.

The symptoms of CHF are shortness of breath and lack of energy. This is because the heart cannot keep up with the body’s needs. In time, the shortness of breath can worsen because fluid begins to build up in the lungs. Fluid can also build up in other places, such as the legs. CHF is typically treated with medications to get rid of the extra fluid, strengthen the heart muscle, widen blood vessels, or lower blood pressure.

The new pacemaker was recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use in patients who have not responded well to medication, and who have poor electrical flow between the right and left ventricles (pumping chambers of the heart). The pacemaker coordinates, or resynchronizes, the electrical flow, improving the heart’s function significantly in some patients.

Unlike previous pacemakers, which are connected by one or two electrical leads to the right ventricle or atrium (atria are the heart’s receiving chambers), the new device uses three leads connected to the right ventricle, right atrium, and left ventricle. Because placement is more difficult on the left ventricle, the new pacemaker takes about three hours to implant, double the time required to place the other pacemaker types. Advances in technology are expected to shorten the procedure in near future.

“The new pacemaker represents the dawn of yet another new technology to improve the well-being of people with heart disease,” says Dr Craig McPherson, the hospital’s director of Cardiac Electrophysiology.

Bridgeport Hospital is one of seven open-heart surgery centers in Connecticut, performing minimally-invasive and off-pump (no heart-lung machine) bypass procedures. In addition, the hospital provides sophisticated heart rhythm care, comprehensive cardiac diagnostic services, and cardiac rehabilitation and heart patient support programs.