Is Echocardiography Useful for Selecting Patients with Heart Failure as Candidates for Ventricular Resynchronization Therapy

In recent years cardiac resynchronization by biventricular pacing (Bi-Ve) has been proposed as an adjunctive therapy for patients with chronic heart failure and conduction delays [1, 2]. Clinical studies concluded that the new tool improves symptoms and exercise capacity. Furthermore, acute hemodynamic investigations [3,4] demostrated that it increases the cardiac index and lowers the wedge pressure, with an overall improvement of left ventricular function.