Sunday, July 3, 2016

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.

In essence, the heart is nothing but a pump the size of a fist. The majority of heart problems have to do with an organ that does not beat as strongly or as regularly as it should. Alternatively, the chambers of the heart does not coordinate with each other very well. The result is that the heart fails to deliver sufficient oxygen and blood to the other organs in the body, causing lots of problems and potential failures.

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 presence of a pace making device does not require the recipient to make major lifestyle changes. It is necessary to avoid intense magnetic fields. Full contact sports should also be avoided and many patients find it uncomfortable to wear safety belts when driving. When receiving any form of medical attention, patients should always inform the attending physician that they have a pace maker.

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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