Pacemaker & Defibrillator Clinic

The pacemaker/defibrillator clinic duties include:

  • Adminsitering diagnostic tests.
  • Checking pacemakers and defibrillators for regular evaluations and reprogramming.
  • Scheduling follow-up appointments, and telephonic checks.
  • Holter Scanning.
  • Wound site evaluations for new implant.
  • Keeping an updated patient file system in the pacemaker art computer and pacemaker/defibrillator patients charts in file cabinets.

Pacemakers and Implantable Defibrillators

An arrhythmia is any disorder of your heart rate or rhythm. It means that your heart beats too quickly, too slowly or with an irregular pattern. Most arrhythmias result from problems in the electrical system of the heart. If your arrhythmia is serious, you may need one of two devices implanted under your skin: a cardiac pacemaker or an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD).

A pacemaker monitors the electrical impulses in the heart. When needed, it delivers electrical pulses to make the heart beat in a more normal rhythm. A pacemaker may be helpful when the heart beats too slowly or has other abnormal rhythms. An ICD is a device that monitors heart rhythms. If it senses dangerous rhythms, it delivers shocks. Many ICDs record the heart's electrical patterns when there is an abnormal heartbeat. This can help the doctor plan future treatment.

What Is an Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator?

An implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) is a small device that's placed in your chest or abdomen. This device uses electrical pulses or shocks to help control life-threatening, irregular heartbeats, especially those that could lead the heart to suddenly stop beating (sudden cardiac arrest). If the heart stops beating, blood stops flowing to the brain and other vital organs. This usually causes death if it's not treated in minutes.

The Heart's Electrical System

Your heart has its own internal electrical system that controls the speed and rhythm of your heartbeat. With each heartbeat, an electrical signal spreads from the top of the heart to the bottom. As it travels, the electrical signal causes the heart to contract and pump blood.

Electrical signals normally begin in a group of cells called the sinus node. As these signals spread from the top to the bottom of the heart, they coordinate the timing of heart cell activity. First, the two upper chambers of the heart, called atria (AY-tree-uh), contract. This contraction squeezes blood into the lower chambers of the heart, which are called ventricles (VEN-trih-kuls). The ventricles then contract and send blood to the rest of the body. The combined contraction of the atria and ventricles is a heartbeat.

Overview

A problem with any part of the electrical system process can cause irregular heartbeats called arrhythmias (ah-RITH-me-ahs). During an arrhythmia, the heart can beat too fast, too slow, or with an irregular rhythm. Faulty electrical signaling in the heart causes arrhythmias.

ICDs use electrical pulses or shocks to treat life-threatening arrhythmias that occur in the ventricles (lower chambers of the heart).

When these ventricular arrhythmias occur, the heart can't effectively pump blood, and a person will pass out within seconds and die within minutes if not treated. To prevent death, the condition must be treated right away with an electric shock to the heart. This treatment is called defibrillation.

An ICD has wires with electrodes on the ends that connect to the chambers of your heart. The ICD will continually monitor your heart rhythm. When the device detects that you're having an irregular rhythm in your ventricles, the ICD will use low-energy electrical pulses to restore a normal rhythm. If this doesn't restore your normal heart rhythm, or if your ventricles start to quiver rather than contract strongly, the ICD will switch to high-energy electrical pulses for defibrillation.

Doctors also treat irregular heartbeats with another device called a pacemaker. An ICD is similar to a pacemaker, but there are some differences. Pacemakers can only give off low-energy electrical pulses. They are often used to treat less dangerous heart rhythms, such as those that occur in the upper chambers of your heart. Most new ICDs can act as both pacemakers and ICDs.

Comparison of an Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator and a Pacemaker

The illustration compares an implantable cardioverter defibrillator and a pacemaker. Figure A shows the location and general size of an implantable cardiac defibrillator in the upper chest. The wires with electrodes on the ends are inserted into the heart through a vein in the upper chest. Figure B shows the location and general size of a double-electrode pacemaker in the upper chest. The wires with electrodes on the ends are inserted into the heart through a vein in the upper chest.

What Is a Pacemaker?

A pacemaker is a small device that's placed under the skin of your chest or abdomen to help control abnormal heart rhythms. This device uses electrical pulses to prompt the heart to beat at a normal rate.

Pacemakers are used to treat heart rhythms that are too slow, fast, or irregular. These abnormal heart rhythms are called arrhythmias (ah-RITH-me-ahs). Pacemakers can relieve some symptoms related to arrhythmias, such as fatigue (tiredness) and fainting. A pacemaker can help a person who has an abnormal heart rhythm resume a more active lifestyle.

Faulty electrical signaling in the heart causes arrhythmias. A pacemaker uses low-energy electrical pulses to correct faulty electrical signaling.

Pacemakers can:

  • Speed up a slow heartbeat
  • Help end an abnormal and fast rhythm (only in implantable cardioverter defibrillator/pacemaker combination devices)
  • Make sure the ventricles contract normally if the atria are quivering instead of beating in a normal rhythm (a condition called atrial fibrillation)
  • Coordinate the electrical signaling between the upper and lower chambers of the heart
  • Coordinate the electrical signaling between the ventricles (cardiac resynchronization therapy used in heart failure)

Pacemakers also can monitor and record your heart's electrical activity and the rhythm of your heartbeat. Newer pacemakers can monitor your blood temperature, breathing rate, and other factors and adjust your heart rate to changes in your activity.

Pacemakers can be temporary or permanent. Temporary pacemakers are used to treat temporary heartbeat problems, such as a slow heartbeat due to heart attack, heart surgery, or an overdose of medicine. Temporary pacemakers are used in emergencies until a permanent pacemaker can be implanted or until the temporary condition goes away. A person with a temporary pacemaker will stay in the hospital as long as the pacemaker is in place.

The information provided on this website is provided for informational purposes only, and should not be used to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease. Such information is not intended as a substitute for professional medical care, and is not intended to provide complete medical information. Only your doctor can diagnose and treat medical problems. Consult your physician if you want more information on the procedures and tests that are described on this website.