Admin_NHT Staff asked 5 years ago A pacemaker is small device that is implanted in your chest or abdomen to correct the irregular beats of the heart. It is essentially a life sustaining device and used to treat arrythmias. A pacemaker can:
- Speed up a slow heart rate
- Slow down or control a fast beating heart
- Make the ventricles contract normally ( for ventricular fibrillation)
- Prevent arrythmia caused by long QT syndrome
Pacemakers can be implanted temporary or permanently. Temporary pacing is required after a major heart surgery or after a heart attack. Whereas, long-term or permanent pacing is required for individuals who typically have congenital heart problems that can be life threatening. During the surgical procedure, the surgeon first places the pacing wires in the heart muscles by threading them through an artery or a vein, then the actual pacemaker is placed in the body my making a cut and positioning it at the right place. These lead wires are then joined to the pacemaker thus ensuring that the whole procedure is as less invasive as possible. After surgery you will be observed overnight and discharged the following day. You will be advised to make certain lifestyle changes and you will also have to take certain immune suppressants, so the body does not react to the foreign object (pacemaker) in the body.