Sunday, July 10, 2016

How A Pacemaker Can Help Make Your Heart Beat Faster

By Rebecca Murphy


Not all that many years ago even minor heart problems could have been a death sentence. Enormous strides have been made in the treatment of heart disease, however. Today, complicated open heart surgery is common and considered to be safe. Many heart problems can be managed or treated by means of medication or minor procedures. For example, by opting for a pacemaker Princeton NJ patients can resume normal activities within days.

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 a relatively simple piece of machinery that helps the heart to beat at the optimum pace. In essence, it consist of a generator that sends electrical impulses to electrodes that are attached to the various chambers of the heart. The electrical impulses controls the rate at which the heart beats. Millions of people have received pace making devices in the past few decades.

These devices are sophisticated. They constantly monitor the heart rate and adjust the speed at which the heart beats based upon the breathing rate and the physical state of the body during exercise. This monitoring is done automatically and the heart beat is adjusted according to the needs of the body for blood and oxygen. These automatic adjustments prevent the patient from fainting or from suffering from severe fatigue.

The implantation of a pace making device does not require a serious operation. In fact, it is routinely done by using only a local anaesthetic. The generator is implanted just underneath the collar of the left shoulder, after which the electrodes are threaded through a vein to the chambers where they need to be attached. The entire procedure takes only 30 to 90 minutes. The patient can go home on the same day but a follow up visit is required to ensure that the device is performing as it should.

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.

This procedure is extremely safe and complication are extremely rare. In some very few cases patients experienced collapsed lungs during the procedure. There is, of course, always a risk of infection developing but this is the case during any surgical procedure. Some patients may have an allergic reaction to the dye that is used during surgery. Some swelling and discomfort at the site where the generator was inserted is common.

There can be no doubt that pace making devices have saved the lives of millions of people or at least allowed them to continue with normal life styles. One can only wonder what new solutions will be offered in the future. Sadly, heart disease remains one of the most common cause of premature death.




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