What is a heart pacemaker? Sure, you’ve heard of it before, but do you know what it really does? When a person’s heart beats too slowly, a condition known as bradycardia results, meaning the brain as well as the rest of the body cannot receive enough blood. An artificial pacemaker is a battery-powered device that helps to regulate the heart’s beats by sending electrical impulses that stimulate the heart.
A pacemaker is generally implanted via a small incision in the skin. There are tiny wires that connect to the heart, through which the timed electrical impulses travel to produce a heartbeat. However, there is such a thing as an external pacemaker which does not require surgery, but is usually meant to be a temporary fix.
In addition to a slow-beating heart, a pacemaker could also be beneficial to a person whose heart beats unevenly. For instance, a person whose heart sometimes beats normally, but often changes to a slow or quick rhythm too frequently may require a pacemaker.
Symptoms which may signify the need for a pacemaker include:
- dizziness and/or fainting
- shortness of breath
- significant lack of energy or fatigue
How a pacemaker works:
In the upper chamber of the heart resides the heart’s natural pacemaker, formally known as the Sinoatrial (SA) Node. It’s really just a jumble of cells which produce an electrical current that causes the heart to beat. When the current moves across the heart to the lower chambers, it literally contracts. It is a problem in this process that can result in a need for an artificial pacemaker.
An artificial pacemaker will create the current needed to create a heartbeat. It also has sensors to keep it from sending impulses when the heart rate is increased, and it will detect when the heartbeat has slowed too much.
