PACEMAKER IMPLANT

What is this test?

The heart is a pump which has an electrical supply. Sometimes the electrical system has problems, and this causes the heart to beat slowly. A pacemaker is a small but sophisticated electronic device that is implanted under the skin. The unit comprises a battery and a powerful microprocessor and it provides a back up electrical supply to the heart. The pacemaker is attached to wires which are inserted into the heart through a vein under the collar bone. These wires (or leads) take the electricity from the pacemaker battery to the heart, keeping a person’s heart rate from going too slowly, and helping to coordinate the beating of the cardiac chambers.