Cardiologists use pacemakers to control the speed at which the heart pumps in patients prone to abnormally slow heart rates. Modern pacemakers are about two-thirds the size of the average cellular phone and contain a battery, a timing mechanism and wires, which electrically stimulate the heart muscle to contract.
Our cardiologists place very sophisticated pacemakers quickly under intravenous sedation. The cardiologist will access the heart through the vein under the collar bone (subclavian vein). The cardiologist than threads two wires through the vein and places them in the appropriate position and than implants the timing mechanism and battery just underneath the skin near the shoulder.
After having a pacemaker placed, patients return to our office on a periodic basis to have the battery and timing mechanisms checked. If your battery needs to be changed or your pacemaker does not function properly, we can detect it before a serious problem develops.
