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 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.
Inserting a pace making device does not require major surgery. The generator is placed just below the collar bone of the shoulder on the left and the electrodes are guided to the heart chambers through a major vein. It is done under a local anaesthetic and the patient can go home almost immediately after the procedure. At least one follow up visit is necessary to make sure that the device is performing well.
The good news is that a pace making device does not require the patient to make major life style changes. He does have to avoid intensive magnetic fields and he should avoid contact sports. He may experience swelling and discomfort at the site where the generator is placed, but this discomfort is short lived. Patients should inform other medical professionals that they have such a device when receiving other medical treatment.
Complications from having this type of surgery is rare, but infection is always a risk after any type of invasive surgery. Some patients have an allergic reaction to the dye used during the procedure. Others experience swelling and discomfort in the area where the generator is implanted, although this normally clears up within a week or two. In very rare cases the lungs of the patient collapse.
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.
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 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.
Inserting a pace making device does not require major surgery. The generator is placed just below the collar bone of the shoulder on the left and the electrodes are guided to the heart chambers through a major vein. It is done under a local anaesthetic and the patient can go home almost immediately after the procedure. At least one follow up visit is necessary to make sure that the device is performing well.
The good news is that a pace making device does not require the patient to make major life style changes. He does have to avoid intensive magnetic fields and he should avoid contact sports. He may experience swelling and discomfort at the site where the generator is placed, but this discomfort is short lived. Patients should inform other medical professionals that they have such a device when receiving other medical treatment.
Complications from having this type of surgery is rare, but infection is always a risk after any type of invasive surgery. Some patients have an allergic reaction to the dye used during the procedure. Others experience swelling and discomfort in the area where the generator is implanted, although this normally clears up within a week or two. In very rare cases the lungs of the patient collapse.
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.
About the Author:
Our international cardiology clinic provides state-of-the-art pacemaker to heart patients. To learn more about our doctors, visit this website at http://picheart.com.
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