Biventricular Pacemakers

Biventricular pacemakers are special pacemakers which are used to improve the pumping action in patients with severely decreased heart function and electrical road blocks. Theses electrical road blocks are called bundle branch blocks. A special pacemaker wire is placed in a vein in the back of the heart called the coronary sinus to activate the left ventricle. This special pacemaker wire bypasses the electrical road block and activates the heart more efficiently, to allow for more blood flow to the rest of the body.

Biventricular pacemakers have been shown to improve symptoms due to decreased heart function two-thirds of the time. These special pacemakers have also been shown to reduce mortality in patients with severely decreased heart function and electrical road blocks. There are some risks involved in placing a biventricular pacemaker which include a very small risk of perforation of the heart, collapse of the lung, infection, and an extremely small risk of death.