“Device Therapies” refer to specialized pacemakers that may either make your heart pump more efficiently or may protect you from life threatening arrhythmias (abnormal heart rhythms). The decision about which (if any) device is right for you depends on several factors, including how severe your symptoms are, and how impaired your heart function is (measured by the ejection fraction).
The next section will provide some information on these special “devices”:
- Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator (ICD)
- Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy (CRT)
- Left Ventricular Assist Devices (LVADs)
Take Home Messages
- “Device therapies” refer to specialized pacemakers that either protect you against life-threatening heart rhythms or make your heart pump more effectively.
- An “ICD” is an implantable cardioverter defibrillator and is intended to protect you against fast heart rhythms that are potentially life threatening.
- “CRT” stands for cardiac resynchronization therapy, and is a special type of pacemaker that makes your heart pump more efficiently. It may also be combined with a defibrillator.