LOT-CRTD functions like a pacemaker to treat weak heart function, and delivers tiny electrical impulses to the left and right ventricles to help them contract in sync, thereby reducing risk of sudden death –
Ropar, August 13, 2025: The Department of Cardiology, Fortis Hospital Mohali, has given a new lease of life to a 70-year-old woman, with a history of heart failure, via life-saving device LOT-CRTD, also known as Left Bundle Branch-Optimized Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy.
LOT-CRTD is a specialized heart treatment wherein a pacemaker is inserted to treat weak heart functions, and delivers tiny electrical impulses to the left and right ventricles to help them contract in sync. This aims to improve the heart’s function by targeting the left bundle branch area for pacing. The technique is used where conventional Biventricular Pacing (BiV-CRT) does not (or is not likely to) provide positive outcomes.
The elderly patient presented at Fortis Hospital Mohali with shortness of breath, fatigue and swelling in the legs and feet. Dr Ankur Ahuja, Senior Consultant, Department of Cardiology, Fortis Hospital Mohali, conducted medical investigations which revealed that she was in heart failure with severely reduced heart pumping functions. Usually, medication is given in such situations to improve the heart condition and any significant coronary artery disease is treated. Though the same was done by Dr Ahuja, the patient’s heart function remained compromised. Given her declining health, Dr Ahuja decided to conduct LOT-CRTD, a new modality which helps improve electrical resynchronization, done in patients with heart failure with LBBB (ventricle walls don’t contract at the same time, affecting the heart’s pumping efficiency). This device also had ICD (implantable cardiac defibrillator) capability which reduces the risk of sudden death. However, she did not have appropriate substrate to allow for conventional CRT, hence LOT-CRTD was chosen.
Discussing the case, Dr Ahuja, said, “Heart failure is a condition wherein the heart is unable to pump blood sufficiently, and hence the body is unable to get oxygen and nutrients. Following LOT-CRTD treatment, the patient’s normal LV wall synchrony was restored. LOT-CRTD is a newer modality with promising results. The procedure involves inserting an extra lead at a specific position to improve the results of conventional CRT. This is a boon for patients who have failed to respond to conventional treatment.”
On how LOT-CRTD functions, Dr Ahuja, added, “LOT-CRTD functions like a pacemaker to treat weak heart function, and delivers tiny electrical impulses to the left and right ventricles to help them contract in sync, thereby reducing risk of sudden death.”
