67-year old Mumbai patient implanted with the first MRI compatible CRT-D in India

In a path-breaking technological breakthrough that could be a boon for patients with certain heart conditions, doctors at Mumbai's Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital and Medical Research Institute have successfully implanted a cardiac resynchronization device – in a 67-year old male patient, that allows the patient to undergo MRI scans for other medical conditions.
 
Dr Venkat D Nagarajan consultant cardiac electrophysiologist and Dr Jamshed Dalal, director of  of Cardiac Sciences, implanted India's first a pacing plus shock device, in the patient.

Heart failure patients suffer from decreased pumping of blood from the heart (low ejection fraction, e.g.  EF < 35 per cent) and are likely to have a high risk of developing life-threatening unstable heart beats (arrhythmias) such as ventricular tachycardia (VT) and ventricular fibrillation (VF).

These can lead to sudden cardiac death if not managed in time. They are usually implanted with a 'cardiac resynchronization therapy device (CRT-D) with a defibrillation (DC shock) function.

 A CRT device is essentially a cardiac pacemaker, which consists of a battery-powered generator implanted in the upper chest and leads or special wires that connect it to the patient's heart. These special wires along with the device, help to revive and make the heart beat in a coordinated (synchronized) manner.

The synchronised contraction will improve and maintain pumping of blood from the heart. As soon as a life-threatening heart rhythm like VT or VF is detected, the CRT will automatically try to correct it by anti-high heart rate pacing, cardioversion or defibrillation.

While CRT devices are definitely advantageous for the heart, they can also hinder certain tests.  Global statistics indicate that the number of patients needing MRI is highest in the age group of 60-75 years.