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An artificial cardiac pacemaker (or artificial pacemaker, so as not to be confused with the natural cardiac pacemaker) or just pacemaker is an implanted medical device that generates electrical impulses delivered by electrodes to the chambers of the heart either the upper atria, or lower ventricles to cause the targeted chambers to contract and ...
It should not be confused with defibrillation (used in more serious cases, in ventricular fibrillation and other shockable rhythms) using a manual or automatic defibrillator, though some newer defibrillators can do both, and pads and an electrical stimulus to the heart are used in transcutaneous pacing and defibrillation.
Each pulse causes the targeted chamber(s) to contract and pump blood, [3] thus regulating the function of the electrical conduction system of the heart. The primary purpose of a pacemaker is to maintain an even heart rate, either because the heart's natural cardiac pacemaker provides an inadequate or irregular heartbeat, or because there is a ...
This means of pacing the heart is not as popular as other means of pacing (like transcutaneous pacing, implanted pacemaker, epicardial pacing) because it is a temporary solution to pace the heart and yet involves a similar level of risk of bleeding as a more permanent solution like placing an implanted pacemaker.
Cardiac resynchronisation therapy (CRT or CRT-P) is the insertion of electrodes in the left and right ventricles of the heart, as well as on occasion the right atrium, to treat heart failure by coordinating the function of the left and right ventricles via a pacemaker, a small device inserted into the anterior chest wall.
Pacemakers are also sometimes used to regulate the heartbeats in people with congenital heart disease, a group of conditions that affect about 1% of people born in the U.S., according to the ...
Echocardiography, also known as cardiac ultrasound, is the use of ultrasound to examine the heart. It is a type of medical imaging , using standard ultrasound or Doppler ultrasound . [ 1 ] The visual image formed using this technique is called an echocardiogram , a cardiac echo , or simply an echo .
The use of the bipolar option does not require the placement of a return electrode because the current only passes between tines of the forceps or other bipolar output device. Electrosurgery should only be performed by a physician who has received specific training in this field and who is familiar with the techniques used to prevent burns.