Cardiac resynchronization therapy through biventricular pacing in patients with heart failure and ventricular dyssynchrony.

Cardiac resynchronization therapy provides a new adjunct in the armamentarium of therapies available to patients who remain symptomatic despite optimized standard therapies. It does not cure heart failure; patients must maintain evidence-based therapies promoted by the American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology. Therapy benefits can be influenced by lead placement and device programming, so it is essential that qualified personnel are consulted to initiate and monitor therapy. While we await final analysis of COMPANION and other studies that definitively answer the question of mortality benefits, substantial data support CRT in reversing left ventricular remodeling, providing hemodynamic benefits, and most importantly, imparting clinical benefits related to functional status, symptoms, quality of life, and morbidity. Acute and critical care nurses can take an active role in promoting this intervention for patients with wide QRS and cardiac dyssynchrony who are likely to benefit through improvement in cardiac function and efficiency.