What is Pacemaker Surgery?
A heart pacemaker implantation, also known as a pacemaker surgery, may be recommended to help treat people who have very slow heart rates. Pacemakers are electrical devices that are placed under the skin in your chest, and send electrical impulses to help control your heartbeat when it’s beating too slow. Pacemakers send electrical impulses from outside your body directly to your heart’s ventricles and regulate your heartbeat when your own heartbeat cannot do so effectively.
Why Do I Need A Pacemaker?
A pacemaker uses electrical pulses to stimulate your heart muscles and keep them beating at a steady rate. While most people who need pacemakers develop abnormally slow rhythms in their hearts as they age or because of injuries such as heart attack or myocarditis. Inherited heart disease or congenital heart problems can be implicated in the remaining cases. Over time, these abnormal rhythms can become more frequent and can lead to symptoms such as giddiness, recurrent faintings, shortness of breath, or swelling of the feet. Slow heart rate is known as bradycardia or bradyarrhythmia. When they cause symptoms you might need a pacemaker to treat your specific condition.
In order to implant a pacemaker, first, your cardiologist will make an incision in your chest below the left collar bone. After making a 2.5-inch incision, he or she will place a long, flexible wire (called a lead) inside the right heart. He attaches it with a battery under your skin. The battery is called a pulse generator. The wire or lead acts as a connection between your pacemaker and your heart. To complete pacemaker surgery, you will be given medications to control pain. You will also receive injections to sedate you. It keeps you calm during the surgery. You can go home once you are stable and are able to take care of yourself.
The first step in learning about pacemaker surgery involves getting to know your heart and identifying whether or not you’re a candidate for the procedure. Doctors use a variety of factors—including your health, medical history, age, and symptoms—to determine whether or not you should get a pacemaker. If you’re experiencing symptoms like dizziness, lightheadedness, syncope, and shortness of breath, it’s best to talk with your doctor right away for the need of a pacemaker. Pacemaker surgery is a minor surgery and most patients can tolerate it well.
A pacemaker is a small device that’s surgically implanted in your chest to help regulate your heartbeat. Usually, only a doctor who specializes in treating the heart (cardiologist or heart specialist) will perform an implantation procedure. However, for some patients, it may be necessary to enlist other specialists depending on their health history such as an anesthetist. Your cardiologist will let you know whether another specialist should be part of your care team.
Once you’ve undergone surgery for a pacemaker you will immediately be shifted to a room or ICU.
You will be able to go home as long as your condition allows it after one day. The length of time spent recovering depends on your overall health and whether or not you have additional procedures done during your hospital stay. You need to come for sterile dressing for the pacemaker site once or twice afterward. You can expect your symptoms to go off.
After pacemaker surgery, most patients are hospitalized for one to two days and then spend another week or so at home on bed rest. However, very few patients with pacemakers need longer hospital stays or a brief stay in an intensive care unit (ICU) because of their underlying heart condition.
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