Rare heart surgery gives new lease of life to patient

Lucknow: A 64-year-old patient survived a massive heart attack after the implantation of a four-lead pacemaker called LOT-CRT (Left Bundle Branch Optimised - Cardiac Resynchronisation Therapy).

Doctors at Sahara Hospital in Lucknow, claimed it was a first-of-its-kind surgery in eastern Uttar Pradesh.

The patient, who previously underwent treatment at a corporate hospital in Delhi for about eight years, had a history of multiple cardiac incidents despite receiving the best available medical care.

An echocardiogram revealed a weakened heart function, with a left ventricular ejection fraction as low as 28 per cent, and an ECG showed a left bundle branch block.

Dr Dhiraj Singh, a senior cardiologist at Sahara Hospital, discussed the case with the patient’s family and proposed the implantation of a novel pacemaker called LOT-CRT (Left Bundle Branch Optimised-Cardiac Resynchronisation Therapy). This four-lead pacemaker played a pivotal role in saving the patient’s life.

Singh said: “Until recently, heart transplant was the only viable option for patients with severe advanced heart failure, but it was expensive and often hindered by the lack of available donor hearts. The three-lead pacemaker CRTD (Cardiac Resynchronisation Therapy Defibrillator) emerged as the second-best option for these patients.”

“Traditionally, a three-lead pacemaker is implanted in these cases, but it fails in about 30 per cent of patients, termed non-responders. In contrast, the LOT-CRT comes with an additional 4th pacemaker lead fixed to the left bundle system of the heart for conduction system pacing,” he said.