The new pacing technique corrects rhythm disturbances that develop as the heart muscle deteriorates, says lead researcher William Abraham of the University of Kentucky. It's safe and well-tolerated. The left ventricle is the heart's most powerful chamber, because it must pump blood throughout the body.
Conventional pacemakers have one lead or two in the right side of the heart.
The study involved 266 patients. Pacemakers were implanted in all of them, but were not turned on in 132 people who served as controls. Nearly two-thirds of the people with working pacemakers improved enough that they were ranked higher on a New York Heart Association functional scale. After six months, researchers turned all the pacemakers on, and they continue to monitor the patients.