Placement and follow up for pacemakers

Pacemakers are amazing cardiac devices. If you need to have one implanted, it is important to understand the reasoning behind it. In addition it is very important to understand what is needed from a patient in the immediate and long term post implant period of such devices.

Cardiac pacemakers are implanted through a sterile procedure, either in the operating room or more routinely in the cardiac catheterization laboratory under x-ray vision and usually on the left side of the chest. For these particular procedures that are generally 60-90 minutes from incision to closure, at the hospital without general anesthesia. We use a procedural sedation known as moderate sedation, more commonly known as twilight sleep.

These amazing discoveries are placed for conditions such as extremely low pulse, total loss of pulse (which is a life-threatening emergency), repeated episodes of passing out, certain variations of atrial fibrillation with slow heart rate and some more complicated cardiac conditions necessitating establishing a baseline minimal necessary pulse rate. The pacemakers can have anywhere from one to three leads placed in different cardiac chambers and vessel structures. The pacemaker pulse generators more commonly known as batteries have become longer and longer lasting. Despite these advancements, Every 7-10 years the batteries need to be replaced. This service is also provided by our office.