Cardiac pacemakers

A cardiac pacemaker is a small battery-operated device that is implanted in the chest. A great many people have a cardiac pacemaker. More than three million of these systems are functioning worldwide and more than 600,000 new systems are implanted annually.

Numerous arrhythmias that cause an excessively slow heartbeat (bradycardia) result in implantation of a permanent cardiac pacemaker system. During the normal ageing process, the heart’s natural excitation conduction system can change so much that the heart beat becomes too slow and/or irregular. Changes in the heart after a myocardial infarction can cause an irregular heartbeat. Some patients also have genetic disorders of the heart leading to corresponding arrhythmias.

Regardless of the underlying causes of the excessively slow heart beat, a cardiac pacemaker – a small battery-operated device that is implanted in the chest – can correct the bradycardia. By restoring a “normal" heart beat, symptoms such as fatigue, dizziness and a tendency to collapse can be diminished or entirely abolished. Since modern cardiac pacemakers were developed to recognise the level of physical activity and adjust the heart beat accordingly, they can enable people to lead a physically active life.