Device to halt heart failure

A "two in one" device to fix irregular heartbeats can cut a patient's chances of developing heart failure, research shows.

Patients given the device had a 41  per cent lower chance of failure than those fitted with a different type of implant, a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine said.

The treatment, cardiac resynchronisation therapy (CRT), involves implanting an electrode to stimulate the left side of the heart and a defibrillator to correct abnormal rhythms.

The patients were compared with those who had only a defibrillator implanted.

The four-year study was paid for by Boston Scientific Corp, which makes the £18,500 devices.