WHICH FUTURE FOR CARDIAC RESYNCHRONIZATION THERAPY? A GOOD ONE, BUT AS A SERVANT OF IMPLANTABLE DEFIBRILLATORS

Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) has become a technique of choice for the treat-ment of advanced heart failure associated with electromechanical dyssynchrony. Recent evidence suggests that the role of CRT alone may be lim-ited, and combination with implantable car-dioverter-defibrillators should be used in the majority of cases of ischemic cardiomyopathy. However, more data are needed to expand this indication to patients with idiopathic dilated car-diomyopathy. CRT alone may prove to be useful instead of right ventricular pacing in patients with less severe left ventricular dysfunction. Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) has become an accepted therapeutic alter