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What is a PACEMAKER..??
The contraction of heart muscle in all animals with hearts is initiated by chemical impulses. The rate at which these impulses fire controls the heart rate. The cells that create these rhythmical impulses are called pacemaker cells, and they directly control the heart rate.
For the heart to beat properly, the signal must travel down a specific path to reach the ventricles, the heart's lower (pumping) chambers. The natural pacemaker may be defective, causing the heartbeat to be too fast,too slow or irregular. The heart's electrical pathways also may be blocked. Hence , after a period, artificial pacemakers are used.
Pulse Generator At Least One Electrode One Or Two Pacing Leads Connecting The Pacemaker To The Heart
Where is it placed..??
It is usually implanted between the skin and pectoral muscle. The sealed lithium iodine battery provides electrical energy to the pacemaker. This battery replaced the mercury-zinc battery in 1975, extending the life of some pacemaker models by over 10 yr.The circuitry converts the electrical energy to small electrical signals.
Battery-free pacemakers
Now there are so many researches going under this topic and there are evolving methods. One such method is combining the implanted device with a microgenerator producing electricity every time the patient moves, effectively eliminating the need for an internal battery.
Wireless Pacemakers
These are the pacemakers that communicate wirelessly with a monitoring service, which is in turn accessed daily by the doctor.The device can be reprogrammed using wireless signals.This method reduces the no of surgeries that the patient has to undergo.
Laser Pacemakers
Biomedical engineers have used a laser beam with a 1.875-micrometer wavelength to force the quail embryo's heartbeat to speed up, The engineers also hope that this work might one day lead to an optical pacemaker for humans, but several obstacles remain.
SMS-capable pacemakers
The latest application is an SMS-enabled pacemaker that can automatically send messages to a cardiologist's cellphone, allowing the doctor to monitor a patient's condition. The unit was developed by Dutch manufacturer Biotronik, and the first implant was performed at VU University Medical Center in Amsterdam.
Lead-Less Pacemakers
This is a kind of pacemaker which can be implanted directly into our heart via catheter and permanently latch itself into flesh with tiny claws. Then, doctors can wirelessly monitor and even control the device from a nearby phone.