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List of All Topics
Pacemaker
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Introduction
Implant Surgery
Complications
Why it is used?
Biventricular Pacemaker's Function
Pacemaker Implantation and Maintenance
About Pacemaker
Pacemaker generally has two parts:
- Generator - contains the battery and the information to control the heartbeat
- Leads - wires used to connect the heart to the generator and send the electrical impulses to the heart to tell it to beat
Today's generators weigh a little less than an ounce (30 grams). The pacemaker's battery can last about 7 to 8 years. It will be regularly checked by your doctor, and replaced when necessary.
Traditional pacemakers help control the right side of the heart to control the heart beat. This is called AV synchronization. A special type of pacemaker, called a biventricular pacemaker, works on both sides of the heart,. It synchronizes the right and left chambers (ventricles) of the heart and keeps them pumping together. This is called cardiac resynchronization therapy. All of today's biventricular pacemakers can also work as an implantable cardio-defibrillator
Page TopImplant Surgery
A pacemaker must be implanted under the skin. This procedure usually takes about 1 hour. You will be given a sedative to help you relax, but you will be awake during the procedure. Pain medicine will be given during the procedure.
A small cut is made, usually on the left side of the chest. The health care provider uses x-rays to place the wires (leads) in the heart. After the leads are in place, they are connected to the pacemaker. The pacemaker is placed into the chest area, and the skin around it is closed with stitches. Most patients go home within 1 day of the procedure.
Page TopComplications
Complications of pacemaker surgery include bleeding, infection, dropped lung (uncommon), abnormal heart rhythms, and puncture of heart leading to bleeding around the heart (rare).
A pacemaker can usually sense if the heartbeat is above a certain level, at which point it will automatically turn off. Likewise, the pacemaker can sense when the heartbeat slows down too much, and will automatically turn back on in order to start pacing again.
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Why it is used?
A pacemaker is often the treatment of choice for people who have a heart condition that causes their heart to beat too slowly (bradycardia). Less commonly, pacemakers may also be used to stop an abnormally rapid heart rate (tachycardia). Biventricular pacemakers have been used to treat severe heart failure.
There are only a few devices in the environment today that which can interfere with a pacemaker.
- Arc welding equipment and equipment with powerful magnets have the potential to interfere with the pace generator.
- Most home appliances, such as a microwave, do NOT interfere with a pacemaker.
- Cell phones in the U.S. do NOT interfere with pacemakers, but you should still keep them away from the pacemaker area (for example, do not store your cell phone in your shirt pocket).
You should always carry identification with you that says you have a pacemaker.
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Biventricular Pacemaker's Function
A biventricular pacemaker doesn't increase heart rate, but rather helps coordinate the pumping action of the heart by sending electrical signals to both of your ventricles.
Normally the left and right ventricles beat in a coordinated fashion - efficiently pumping blood out to the body. Damage to the heart muscle, often caused by certain types of heart failure, can distort this timing - called ventricular dyssynchrony. Regular pacemakers pulse only the right ventricle. A biventricular pacemaker paces both ventricles so that all or most of the ventricular muscles "squeeze," or "pump," together. This allows your heart to pump blood more effectively and can dramatically improve heart failure symptoms. Because this treatment resets the ventricles' pumping mechanism, it's also referred to as cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT).
Not everyone who has heart failure needs a biventricular pacemaker. If you have moderate to severe heart failure, certain conduction problems, or your heart failure symptoms persist despite the use of medications, you may be a candidate for a biventricular pacemaker.
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Pacemaker Implantation and Maintenance
Surgery to implant the pacemaker is usually performed under local anesthesia and typically takes less than three hours. You may stay in the hospital for one to three days after having a pacemaker implanted. Before you leave, your pacemaker is programmed to fit your particular pacing needs. A return visit is scheduled to refine the settings.
After that, you'll periodically have your pacemaker checked via telephone. You connect to a phone line with either a transmitter attached to wristbands on each of your arms or a wand placed over the pacemaker. These devices send pacemaker information to your doctor's office. A technician on the other end of the line checks your heart rate and rhythm and assesses your pacemaker's function and remaining battery life.
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