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A Pacemaker Implantation Can Give Patients A New Lease On Life

By Rebecca Murphy


The heart is not a mythical organ. When it does not work well, the entire body suffers and millions of people die every year due to heart complications. One can keep living without a kidney, a spleen, a gall bladder and even part of the liver, but a damaged heart is detrimental. Thank goodness that so many people from Princeton NJ, by receiving a pacemaker, can get a new lease on life.

The heart is really nothing other than a pump the size of an average fist. It pumps blood containing oxygen and nutrients to all parts of the body. When it does not pump as intended to, heart problems van ensue. Sometimes the chambers of the heart do not coordinate very well and sometimes the heart beats too slow or too fast.

A pace making device is not a complicate piece of machinery and implanting it does not require major open heart surgery. It basically consist of a generator and a number of electrodes that are connected to the heart chambers through certain main arteries. The generator sends electric impulses via the electrodes and this corrects the pace at which the heart beats.

On the one hand these devices are extremely basic but they are sophisticated at the same time. They perform constant monitoring of the body during exercise or when the breathing of the patient changes, the heart rate is adjusted accordingly. Every effort is made to ensure that the immediate oxygen and blood needs of the body is satisfied. This is to ensure that patients do not become over tired or even pass out.

The good news is that pace making devices are implanted without much fuss. Only a local anaesthetic is needed and the patient is awake during the procedure. The unit containing the generator is inserted below the collar bone of the left shoulder. The electrodes are then attached to the heart chambers through a major vein. The entire procedure can be completed in half an hour.

The good news is that a pace making device does not require the patient to make major life style changes. He does have to avoid intensive magnetic fields and he should avoid contact sports. He may experience swelling and discomfort at the site where the generator is placed, but this discomfort is short lived. Patients should inform other medical professionals that they have such a device when receiving other medical treatment.

Complications during or after the procedure is very rare, but care should always be taken to avoid infection. Patients may experience mild discomfort and swelling for a few days at the site where the generator is inserted. Full body contact sport should be avoided and intense magnetic fields, such as generated by MR scans can be harmful. Patients should inform other medical professionals that they have this type of implant.

Millions of people are able to continue enjoying life because of pace maker technology. Heart disease continue to be one of the biggest causes of death world wide. Ongoing research will no doubt provide new solutions. It is the responsibility of each individual, however, to avoid habits and lifestyle choices that will have an adverse effect upon the heart.




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