Pacemaker implantation is a procedure to put a small, battery-operated device called a pacemaker into your chest, to help your heart beat regularly.
This is a minor surgical procedure that is usually performed under a local anaesthetic (the area is numbed but you are awake during the operation).
About 25,000 pacemakers are implanted every year in the UK.
Why is it necessary?
The heart has its own natural pacemaker, called the sinoatrial (SA) node (see box, below left). The SA node is a small clump of cells in your heart that generates electrical impulses that spread throughout your heart, causing it to beat. If this process stops working properly, you may need an artificial pacemaker.
The main reasons for needing an artificial pacemaker are:
- Heart block: a condition where your heart beats irregularly or more slowly than normal because the electrical signals that control your heartbeat are not being transmitted properly.
- Bradycardia: a heart condition featuring episodes of an abnormally slow heart rate (less than 60 beats a minute). This is sometimes caused by sinus node disease, where your natural pacemaker does not function properly, which can happen as a result of age, heart disease or medication.
- Heart failure: when your heart is not pumping blood around your body very efficiently.
Pacemakers can be implanted in patients of any age, although the average age of those who received a pacemaker in 2003 was 76.
Outlook
Having a pacemaker fitted is very straightforward and the risk of complications is low. After the procedure, you should feel back to normal, or even better, very quickly.
