Understanding How A Pacemaker Works To Prompt A Heartbeat
Your heart has four chambers (two atria and two ventricles) which contract as the result of electrical impulses. The impulses are generated in your sinus node at the top of your right atrium. They travel through the cells of the atria, causing them to contract and push blood into your ventricles. The electrical signals continue traveling through the cells of your ventricles, causing them to contract and push blood to your pulmonary arteries and aorta.
If the production of the signals, or the path along which they travel are affected, you may develop an abnormal heartbeat. This is called an arrhythmia. You might experience difficulty breathing, anxiety, chest pain, and sweating. Arrhythmias, while not always symptomatic, can impact your quality of life. A pacemaker is a small device that is implanted into your chest in order to treat the arrhythmia and help regulate your heartbeat. In this article, we’ll provide an overview of how a pacemaker fulfills its job.
Managing Your Heart’s Electrical Signals
The device is comprised of a battery, computer chip, generator, and a set of wires. All of these are contained within a small box with the wires protruding from the casing. The wires are equipped with electrodes on their ends. The electrodes are threaded through a vein that leads directly to your heart. Depending on the type of pacemaker, there may be a single wire that is inserted into the right ventricle, two wires for the right atrium and ventricle, or three wires. In the latter case, three of the four chambers receive a wire; the exception is the left atrium.
The battery powers the generator. The generator produces electrical signals that are sent through the wires. The electrodes on the ends of the wires deliver the signals to their respective chambers and thereby, manage your heart’s rhythm. The computer chip monitors your heart at all times to determine when the signals are needed to stimulate the muscle. It accomplishes this through sensors contained within the wires, and takes into account your level of exertion, breathing rhythm, and other factors.
If your physician needs to make changes to the pacemaker’s programming, he can do so remotely. This is often necessary when you make changes to your normal level of activity.
What Happens After The Procedure?
While inserting the pacemaker under your skin seems invasive, it is a minor procedure that is rarely accompanied by complications. You may need to stay at the hospital for one day while your doctor monitors the device’s programming and effectiveness. You might also experience mild swelling or discomfort near the insertion site for seven to ten days. In most cases, recipients can return to their jobs within a few days and resume strenuous physical activity within three or four weeks.
While minimally invasive heart surgery (e.g. Maze procedure, catheter ablation, etc.) can resolve some types of arrhythmia, a pacemaker is often considered a more effective form of treatment.
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