Cardiac resynchronization therapy for CHF. The rewards and risks of biventricular pacing.

Patients with advanced heart failure continue to experience high morbidity and mortality despite recent progress made with the use of such drugs as beta-blockers and angiotensin-aldosterone inhibitors. Cardiac transplantation has severe limitations due to the short supply of organs and the ineligibility of most CHF patients for this therapy. Approved heart-assist devices are cumbersome and costly.