Pacemakers are small devices that are implanted in the chest near the heart to control how your heart beats. People with Arrhythmias, which is a disease related to your heart beating properly need pacemakers.
The sinus node is our body’s natural pacemaker and is located in the right atrium of the heart. It has a specia group of cells called myocytes that make electrical pulses that circulate the heart muscle and cause it to beat at a normal hear rate which is abuot 7-80 BPM. Bradycardia is when your heart beat is slower than normal, usually 50 beats or less and is caused by aging or heart disease that change the hearts normal electrical activity. Symptoms of Bradycardia are dizziness, shortness of breath and fatigue.
An artificial pacemaker is implanted in the body and helps regulate the heartbeat. The earliest pacemaker built in the 1920’s and 30’s was external, bulky and powered by a lead acid battery similar to car batteries. The first implantable pacemaker used in humans was built by Wilson Greatbatch in the early sixties. Pacemakers are made of a battery, an electrical circuit and electrodes. Electrodes are inserted into the appropriate chamber of the heart, their job is to sense normal sinus node rhythm and pace the heart at a normal heartbeat. The pacemaker senses the beat of the heart and if it is slow it delivers an electrical impulse that makes the heart rate normal. Modern pacemakers can be programmed and adapted to the patient’s level of activity and lifestyle. With better battery technology pacemakers have gotten much smaller and last up to 7 years. Pacemakers are amazing tools that have saved countless lives, and they have adapted in shape and technology drastically over time.