A pacemaker is a small device placed, mainly implanted in the chest, to help control the patient’s heartbeat. This small device prevents the patient’s heart from beating too slowly.
The procedure of implanting a pacemaker in the chest needs a surgical procedure. A pacemaker is also known as a cardiac pacing device.
In 1958, Dr. William Chardack of the Buffalo VA Medical Center teamed up with Dr. Andrew Gage and engineer Wilson Greatbatch to implant an electrode in a dog connected to a pulse generator.
In 1960, they implanted a pacemaker into a person who was 77 years old. That person lived for 10 months after the procedure.
A pacemaker usually has three parts: a pulse generator, one or multiple leads, and an electrode on each lead. A pacemaker may signal the heart to beat when the heartbeat is irregular or too slow.
This implantable pulse generator is a very crucial medical device nowadays, as it can prevent problems by stabilizing abnormal heartbeat that may endanger or disrupt your life.
Pacemakers also help the heart chambers to sync so that the heart can pump blood more efficiently if the patient has heart failure.
Types of Pacemakers
According to the patient’s condition, there are mainly three types of pacemakers that doctors may need to use. Those types are:
- Single chamber pacemaker.
- Dual chamber pacemaker.
- Biventricular pacemaker.
The Following Are Examples of Pacemakers.
There are various important examples of a pacemaker, some of those are:
Leadless Pacemaker:
This type of pacemaker is about the size of a large pill that is inserted with the help of a catheter-based procedure. This device is mainly attached to an inner wall of the patient’s heart, meaning it doesn’t require to use of any wires.
Single-Chamber Pacemaker:
This kind of pacemaker needs to use a single wire connected to one chamber of the patient’s heart.
Dual-Chamber Pacemaker:
This type of pacemaker uses two specific kinds of wires attached to two heart chambers.
Biventricular Pacemaker:
This type of pacemaker uses three numbers of wires, two of which need to be attached to the lower chambers of the patient’s heart and the third one connected to the right atrium or the right upper chamber. This specific procedure is also referred to as CRT or Cardiac resynchronization therapy.
Triple-Chambered Pacemakers:
This is another kind of pacemaker that usually have one lead in the right atrium, one to stimulate the left ventricle, and one to stimulate the right ventricle. These medical devices are used in patients who are suffering from weakened heart muscles.
Applications of A Pacemaker
There are various types of pacemakers that can help different patients in different ways. Some important applications of a pacemaker are:
A pacemaker can help those symptoms that can help the heart beat in rhythm and at an appropriate rate.
A pacemaker can slow down that disease’s progress if a person has heart failure. Thus, the patient may require to be hospitalized less often.
A person with a heart problem may face sudden death due to the lack of immediate treatment. A pacemaker is capable of providing that immediate treatment.
Suppose an individual has a higher risk of ventricular tachycardia. In that case, a pacemaker can save his/her life, as in ventricular tachycardia, the ventricles can get out of sync and may work fast and also erratically.
A pacemaker helps people to get rid of shortness of breath.
Therefore, we have provided a few important facts regarding a pacemaker that may help you.
I’m a former teacher (and mother of Two Childs) with a background in child development. Here to help you with play-based learning activities for kids. ( Check my Next startup Cledemy.Com)