CARDIAC PACEMAKER

Typical Number in Hospital: 50

Cost Bands: 3

References: 3,4,6

The muscles of the heart must contract in the correct sequence to allow adequate times for filling and pumping. The timing mechanism depends upon the correct action of a natural Pacemaker in the heart and the correct delays and distribution of the signal in the muscle and nerves of the heart. There are a number of congenital or acquired conditions in which the triggering (pacing) and timing mechanisms are disrupted, and for which a cardiac Pacemaker may be a part of the treatment.

The Pacemaker is an electrical stimulator with electrodes usually applied directly to the heart and providing pulses of a fixed rate (asynchronous Pacemaker) or it may provide pulses only when the natural pulse fails to appear (demand Pacemaker). There are many sub-classifications of cardiac Pacemakers and these are mentioned briefly in the entry under Pacemaker.