Implanted Pacemaker
If you have a pacemaker implanted, you will need to have it monitored at regular intervals. Your doctor will use a computer to ensure that your pacemaker is functioning correctly and that there is adequate battery life.
Pacemaker Check
Sometimes the heart can beat very slowly or very fast or have an irregular rhythm. The right atria of the heart has its own pacemaker, the sino-atrial node. This communicates with another specialized part of the heart called the atrioventricular node. The normal signals between these two nodes constitute a heart rhythm called sinus rhythm. This is the rhythm in which most people without any degree of heart disease have. Pacemakers or defibrillators are implanted into patients who have heart rhythms that are different from healthy functioning hearts.
Pacemaker checks are carried out at the time of implantation and also at regular intervals thereafter. Depending on the type of pacemaker or defibrillator, these can be between 3 months to 12 months. When a pacemaker is checked by a cardiac technician, information is gathered about the battery and the general performance of the implant. Most pacemakers also store information about the rhythm of the heart when it is not being paced. The check involves a magnet being placed over the pacemaker, which changes the rate at which the pacemaker will work. This rate change is analyzed by a computer that reprograms the pacemaker to suit the individual requirements of the patient’s condition.