How should we follow-up patients undergoing CRT?

摘要

The effects of electrical activation sequence on left ventricular(LV) performance were first studied by Carl Wiggers nearly a centuryago; subsequently, the unfavorable actions of asynchronousventricular depolarization were demonstrated in awealth of experimentaland clinical work, thus examining indices of LV systolic anddiastolic function,1 as well as myocardial perfusion and energetics.2This research was swiftly translated into the advent of cardiacresynchronization therapy (CRT), thereby offering substantial clinicalbenefits to patients with LV systolic dysfunction and overt heartfailure in terms of exercise capacity and prognosis.3 In addition topatient selection, optimal lead placement is a crucial parameterin maximizing the efficacy of CRT; however, even with these conditionsproperly addressed, approximately one-third of recipients donot respond to CRT, hence calling for effective device-programmingstrategies.