Permanent Pacemaker Insertion

What are pacemakers?

Pacemakers are implantable medical devices that regulate your heartbeat. It has a battery-operated generator that produces electrical impulses. These stimulate your heart, so it beats regularly. The generator is placed under your skin near your heart. 

Pacemakers have leads (tiny wires) that connect your heart to the pacemaker generator. The leads transmit the electrical impulses produced by the generator to your heart.

A similar device is a cardiac defibrillator, which restores an irregular heartbeat. If you have a life-threatening rhythm disorder (arrhythmia), it can change how your heart beats. Defibrillators can also shock your heart back to a normal rhythm if necessary.

Why would I need a permanent pacemaker insertion?

Your doctor at Heart Clinic of Hammond might recommend permanent pacemaker insertion if you have a problem with your heart that noninvasive methods can’t treat.

Conditions that could benefit from permanent pacemaker insertion include bradycardia (slow heartbeat), heart block (disrupted electrical signals in your heart), and atrial fibrillation (a common kind of arrhythmia).

Your doctor may also suggest permanent pacemaker insertion if you take medications, like beta-blockers, that slow your heartbeat. 

How does permanent pacemaker insertion work?

Pacemakers take over the job your heart’s sinus node usually performs. The sinus node (a collection of cells in your heart’s right upper chamber) produces electrical impulses that control your heart’s pace and rhythm.

Sometimes the sinus node doesn’t work properly, affecting your heartbeat’s speed and regularity. A pacemaker’s leads have sensors monitoring your heart’s electrical activity. The sensors send data to your pacemaker generator to detect any abnormalities. 

If it detects a problem, the pacemaker sends electrical impulses that settle your heart so it beats normally. Some people have a pacemaker or defibrillator that can strengthen a weak heart.

What does permanent pacemaker insertion involve?

Permanent pacemaker insertion might use minimally invasive cardiac catheterization or a coronary intervention — procedures that access the heart through your arteries. In some instances, your doctor might use the same kind of technique with a vein rather than an artery. Some people need surgery to implant their permanent pacemaker.

The Heart Clinic of Hammond doctors arrange permanent pacemaker insertion. They also provide follow-up services, including pacemaker testing and reprogramming and a regular pacemaker clinic.

To find out more about the advanced techniques used in permanent pacemaker insertion, call Heart Clinic of Hammond today or book an appointment online.