Permanent Pacemaker Implantation (PPI)

Permanent pacemaker implantation (PPI) or simply Pacemaker is a tiny electronic device which helps to maintain an appropriate rate of heart beat in patients who have extremely low heart rate which is diagnosed to be Bradycardia or irregular heart rate which could be life threatening. This problem is known as Ventricular Dyssynchrony. The pacemaker is placed just below the collar bone of the patient.

HOW DOES IT WORK 

The pacemaker is a small metal cased circuit which is run electronically by a micro computer. This microchip is majorly subdivided into 2 parts which are electrodes on each lead and a pulse generator. Whenever the patient’s heart beats in a non uniform manner or too low than required then improper amount of blood is circulated around the body which is hazardous, hence at these times the pacemaker comes in play where it signals the heart through electrical impulses that brings back the functioning of the heart in it’s appropriate rhythm.

HOW DOES THE PACEMAKER RUN 

Pacemaker runs by a small electronic battery which is placed inside the pacemaker unit. It has a long life which runs anywhere from 7 to 10 years.

TYPES OF PACEMAKER IMPLANTS 

Human heart has 4 chambers i.e 2 on the upper side and 2 on the bottom. Pacemaker units are of 3 types that can be implanted in the patient’s upper chest depending upon the patient’s heart issue. These three types are as follows.

1. Uni/ Single Chamber PPI – This kind of pacemaker is attached to any of the upper or lower chambers of the heart.
2. Dual Chamber PPI – This pacemaker is attached to 2 chambers of the heart i.e one above and one below.
3. Bi-Ventricular Pacemaker PPI – This pacemaker is used for cardiac resynchronization.

HOW IS A PACEMAKER IMPLANTED :

 Before the implant, the assigned doctor would know the patient’s medical reports, family history, allergies, procedure & the financials

1. For the surgery, the patient is sedated (Anesthesia) with the help of an IV drip, through a small incision the surgeon would insert a narrow flexible tube under the collarbone. This goes up though the blood veins to the heart. Its position is observed through an imaging process called Fluoroscopy. Once everything is in place, the pacemaker is fitted beneath the skin. Parallelly various forms of heart scans will be running to make sure all vital organs are functioning normally.
2. Post surgery, the patient is kept under critical observation where all his organs are observed for normal functioning and to make sure the implant has got no side effects as such. Once the heart rate and other bodily functions related to the blood is regulated the patient is discharged from the recovery ward and sent home.

BENEFITS OF PACEMAKER IMPLANTATION 

It is to note that a pacemaker does not cure any heart diseases but rather keeps in control with appropriately normal rhythm.

Benefits of having a right heart rhythm according to the body’s activity are as follows:

• To eradicate the problem of Bradycardia.
• Efficient breathing.
• Efficient functioning of the heart.
• Reduced fatigue.