St Vincents Private Hospitals

A pacemaker insertion is a medical procedure to implant a small electronic device in the chest to help regulate your heartbeat. It consists of a battery and leads, and it is placed in a pocket of skin either side of your chest. In a healthy heart, electrical activity regulates the heartbeat and ensures that enough blood gets pumped around the body. If this system is not working normally, your doctor may recommend a pacemaker insertion. This device helps stabilise an abnormal heart rhythm by sending out electrical signals that help the heartbeat at a normal rate. 

What does it do?

A pacemaker insertion is used to treat certain heart conditions such as arrythmia or atrial fibrillation, and it can be programmed to adjust to your specific needs. If it senses that your heart has missed a beat, or is beating dangerously slow, it sends out a series of electrical pulses to correct the rhythm. When your heart is beating normally, the pacemaker is inactive. Pacemakers are usually responsible for ensuring that your heart does not reach a dangerously low heartrate. 

How does it work?

When the electrical pathways in the heart are not working as normal, the heart does not beat in a regular rhythm and as a result it cannot function efficiently. A pacemaker insertion is one of the most common types of heart procedures. There are different types of pacemaker available depending on the type of heart condition to be treated. They can last up to 15 years.

• Leadless pacemaker – attached to the inner wall of the heart with no wires
• Single-chamber pacemaker – using one single wire to attach to the heart
• Dual-chamber pacemaker – using two wires to attach to two heart chambers
• Bi-ventricular pacemaker – using three wires to attach to the heart