Heart and Vascular Hospital

If your heart cannot maintain a normal rhythm on its own (arrhythmia), you may need to have a pacemaker implanted.

Your heart responds to built in electrical impulses from specialized cells which tell it when to work. Without a healthy electrical conduction system, your heart will not beat properly. A normal heart rate is typically 60 – 100 beats per minute, with the beats occurring at a regular timing interval. An arrhythmia is a heart beat that is too slow, too fast or when the beats are irregular. Some people feel sick or pass out when they are experiencing an arrhythmia, yet others feel fine until a doctor notices it on an EKG or a monitor. Medications are used to treat arrhythmias. Cardioversion procedures shock the heart to slow it down. Ablation procedures disrupt the abnormal rhythm by destroying or scarring the cells responsible for the arrhythmia. A cardiac device may also be indicated. You may be advised to consult with an Electrophysiologist who is a cardiologist specializing in heart arrhythmias.

A cardiac pacemaker is a small electronic device that is placed under your skin, just below your collarbone. It is made up of a computer and a battery housed in a metal casing. One, two or three leads or wires connect the pacemaker to your heart. Typical pacemakers have one or two leads and simply make sure your heart rate does not go too slow. Some pacemakers coordinate the pumping action of sick heart muscle to allow more blood to be pumped with each beat. They are known as “biventricular” pacemakers because they have leads in both ventricles. Your doctor determines the need for a pacemaker based on the type of arrhythmia you have and the overall condition of your heart.

Types of devices include:

• Pacemakers for slow heart rates
• Implantable Cardiac Defibrillators (ICD) for dangerous fast rates
• Biventricular Pacemakers and ICDs help the motion of the pumping muscle as well as the rate

The Pacemaker Center was created to follow and manage patients with pacemakers after they are implanted. Providing a range of sophisticated services, including remote monitoring by telephone and clinic visits to ensure that each pacemaker is programmed correctly for each individual patient. The staff of the Pacemaker Center also serves as a resource for patients and their families, offering education and reassurance.