What are the risks of having a pacemaker? How do I prepare for a pacemaker? What happens during pacemaker surgery? What happens after pacemaker surgery? A pacemaker is a small device that helps maintain a healthy heart beat using electrical impulses. It consists of a battery and leads, and it sits under the skin on the left or right side of your chest. The pacemaker sends electrical signals to your heart to help it to beat at a normal rate.
Your doctor will recommend a pacemaker if your heartbeat has become too fast, too slow or irregular - a disorder known as an arrhythmia. Below, you can watch a short video from one of our specialists explaining more about a pacemaker. Your doctor will have a more detailed discussion about risks before you agree to the surgery. Your doctor will ask you to sign a consent form before you have the surgery. For some people, having to lie still on the procedure table for the length of the procedure may cause some discomfort or pain.
There may be other risks. This depends on your specific health condition. Be sure to discuss any concerns with your healthcare provider before the procedure. Your healthcare provider will explain the procedure to you and ask if you have any questions. You will be asked to sign a consent form. This gives your permission to do the procedure. Read the form carefully. Ask questions if anything is not clear.
Tell your healthcare provider if you are sensitive to or are allergic to any medicines, iodine, latex, tape, or anesthetic agents local and general. You will need to fast not eat or drink for a certain period before the procedure. Your healthcare provider will tell you how long to fast, usually overnight or at least 8 hours before the procedure. Tell your healthcare provider if you are pregnant or think you might be, or if you are breastfeeding.
Be sure your healthcare provider knows about all medicines, vitamins, herbs, and supplements that you are taking. This includes both prescription and over-the-counter medicines. Tell your healthcare provider if you have a history of bleeding disorders or if you are taking any anticoagulant blood-thinning medicines.
This includes aspirin, or other medicines that affect blood clotting. You may need to stop taking some of these medicines before the procedure. Tell your healthcare provider if you have heart valve disease. You may need to take antibiotics before the procedure. You may get a sedative before the procedure. This is to help you relax. If a sedative is used and you go home right afterward, plan to have someone to drive you home.
You will likely spend at least 1 night in the hospital after the procedure. This is to watch your heart and make sure the pacemaker is working the way it should. Based on your health condition, your healthcare provider may request other specific preparation. A pacemaker insertion may be done on an outpatient basis. Or it may be done as part of your hospital stay.
The procedure may vary depending on your health and how your healthcare provider does the procedure. You will be asked to remove your clothing and will be given a medical gown to wear. An IV intravenous line will be started in your hand or arm before the procedure. This is to give you medicine and fluids.
You will be connected to an electrocardiogram ECG monitor. This records the electrical activity of your heart. It monitors your heart during the procedure using small, plastic electrodes that stick to your skin.
Your vital signs will also be watched during the procedure. These include your heart rate, blood pressure, breathing rate, and oxygen level. A local anesthetic will be injected into the skin of the chest at the insertion site.
Once the area is numb, the healthcare provider will make a small cut incision at the insertion site. A sheath is put into a large blood vessel. The sheath is also called an introducer. It's usually put under the collarbone. The sheath is a small plastic tube. The provider will thread the pacer lead wire or wires through this tube into the blood vessel and advance them into the heart. It will be very important for you to stay still during the procedure.
This is so that the catheter does not move. This helps to prevent damage at the insertion site. The provider will thread the lead wire through the sheath into the blood vessel. They will advance the lead wire through the blood vessel into the heart. A type of moving X-ray is displayed on a TV screen fluoroscopy may be used to help check the location of the leads.
There may be 1, 2, or 3 lead wires inserted. This depends on the type of device your healthcare provider has chosen for your needs. The lead wire is attached to the pacemaker generator. Then the provider will slip the generator under your skin through the incision just below the collarbone. The generator is often placed on the non-dominant side. This means if you are right-handed, the device will be placed in your upper left chest. If you are left-handed, the device may be placed in your upper right chest.
The skin incision will be closed with stitches, adhesive strips, or a special glue. After the procedure, you may be taken to the recovery room or returned to your hospital room.
A nurse will watch your vital signs. Tell your nurse right away if you feel chest pain or tightness, trouble breathing, or pain at the insertion site.
After a period of bed rest, you may get out of bed with help. The nurse will be with you the first time you get up. They will check your blood pressure while you are lying in bed, sitting, and standing. Heart pacemaker. Newer pacemakers weigh as little as 1 ounce 28 grams. Most pacemakers have 2 parts: The generator contains the battery and the information to control the heartbeat.
The leads are wires that connect the heart to the generator and carry the electrical messages to the heart. There are 2 kinds of pacemakers used only in medical emergencies.
They are: Transcutaneous pacemakers Transvenous pacemakers They are not permanent pacemakers. Why the Procedure is Performed. When your heart beats too slowly, your body and brain may not get enough oxygen. Symptoms may be Lightheadedness Tiredness Fainting spells Shortness of breath Some pacemakers can be used to stop a heart rate that is too fast tachycardia or that is irregular. Watch this video about: Heartbeat. Possible complications of pacemaker surgery are: Abnormal heart rhythms Bleeding Punctured lung.
This is rare. Infection Puncture of the heart, which can lead to bleeding around the heart. Before the Procedure. The day before your surgery: Shower and shampoo well. You may be asked to wash your whole body below your neck with a special soap.
On the day of the surgery: You may be asked not to drink or eat anything after midnight the night before your procedure. This includes chewing gum and breath mints. Rinse your mouth with water if it feels dry, but be careful not to swallow.
Take the drugs you have been told to take with a small sip of water. Your provider will tell you when to arrive at the hospital. After the Procedure. You may be advised not to: Lift anything heavier than 10 to 15 pounds 4. Raise your arm above your shoulder for several weeks. Outlook Prognosis. Alternative Names.
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