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CRT & Renal Failure

Salt and fluid retention typically seen in patients with kidney failure can adversely affect the heart. Cardiac resynchronization therapy is a treatment used for patients with congestive heart failure and is also beneficial for kidney failure.

  1. Renal Failure

    • According to the Mayo Clinic, renal failure occurs when the kidneys are unable to eliminate excess fluid, sodium and other debris from the bloodstream. These waste materials left behind in the blood by weakened or diseased kidneys increase to harmful levels if treatment is not sought.

    Significance

    • According to the American Heart Association, cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) is a treatment developed to help the heart beat more efficiently in patients with congestive heart failure (CHF). CHF occurs when the heart muscle is too weak to function efficiently, which can be a side effect of chronic kidney failure. If this is the case, the patient's glomerular filtration rate (GFR) must be monitored. According to the National Kidney Foundation, the GFR is the most efficient kidney function test available. Patients may also be given a blood urea nitrogen (BUN) test, which measures waste products in the blood that the kidneys were unable to process effectively.

    Research Findings

    • According to PubMed, a service of the National Institutes of Health, CRT treatments used to improve cardiac function had an indirect, but beneficial, effect on kidney function. The PubMed website states that CRT reduced the GFR, as well as the BUN, in patients with CHF and moderate renal failure.

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