Article Summary

Robotic-Enhanced Biventricular Resynchronization Therapy

by The DiagnosisHeart.com Physician Team
Posted: August 27, 2003

Summary:
Brussels, Belgium - The benefits of cardiac resynchronization therapy for congestive heart failure has been demonstrated over and over in randomized trials.

Biventricular resynchronization requires a lead to pace the right ventricle and a lead to pace the left ventricle. The transvenous route is very successful for implantation of the right ventricular lead. The left ventricular lead is placed through the coronary sinus. Since the technique of implantation of a pacing lead into the coronary sinus has technical drawbacks, alternative minimally invasive approaches have been sought.

The investigators in Belgium placed the left ventricular lead on the epicardial surface of the left ventricle using robotic-enhanced thoracoscopic techniques.

The procedure was successful in 13/15 patients. Two patients (2/15) required conversion to a small left thoracotomy to manually place the left ventricular lead on the epicardial surface of the left ventricle.

Editor's Note:

Although this is not the first study published in the literature looking at the feasibility of robotic-enhanced biventricular resynchronization, it does show that this is a good option in centers that have low success rates with the implantation using the transvenous route.

Reference:
Robotic-Enhanced Biventricular Resynchronization: An Alternative to Endovenous Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy in Congestive Heart Failure, Annals of Thoracic Surgery 76: 413-417.

Date of Article Publication:
2003, August

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