Biomedicalism: Pacemakers

"You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one. I hope someday you'll join us. And the world will live as one."

~ John Lennon

Spreading hope is not easy, especially when we lose it among our loaded life, but here we are, come to hold a lamp and lighten the road for those young minds which dream of future and need our hand to feel secure and courage, and today is our first session of Biomedicalism that grabs not bad numbers of attendees who are interested,

We invited “Boston Scientific Int.” agent company in Egypt “Masr Saini” and their representative Eng. Mina William who welcomed invitation and spent about four hours illustrating the cardiac trend and one of its main groups Cardiac Rhythm Management (CRM).

Boston Scientific is a company on the forefront of Cardiac Rhythm Management (CRM) therapy. The Cardiac Rhythm Management group works with the Electrophysiology group to develop therapies for abnormal heart rhythms (arrhythmias) and heart failure.

We are talking about Pacemakers; a pacemaker is implanted to treat bradycardia (an abnormally slow heart rate). Pacemakers can also adjust the heart rate to meet the body's needs, whether during exercise or rest. Implantation of a pacemaker involves positioning leads (thin, insulated wires) in the heart and placing the device in a pocket of skin, usually in the shoulder area. Typically the implant procedure involves only local anesthetics and a sedative, rather than general anesthesia. Most people have a fairly quick recovery after a pacemaker implant.

What Is a Pacemaker?

A pacemaker is a small implantable device that treats abnormal heart rhythms called arrhythmias. Specifically, a pacemaker treats slow arrhythmias called bradycardia.

Arrhythmias result from a problem in the heart's electrical system. Electrical signals follow a certain pathway through the heart. It is the movement of these signals that causes your heart to contract.

During a slow arrhythmia, not enough electrical signals are moving through the heart. The heart beats too slowly, and you may feel symptoms such as fatigue.

A pacemaker restores your heart to a normal rhythm. A pacemaker can also adjust its therapy to meet your body's needs. The device has sensors that can detect, when you rest and need a slow heart rate and when you exercise and need a faster heart rate

How Do Pacemakers Work?

Pacemakers do not take over the work of the heart. After you have a pacemaker, your heart still does all its own work. Rather, the pacemaker merely helps to regulate the timing and sequence of your heart beat.

Pacemakers consist of two major parts: the generator and the leads.

The generator is essentially a tiny computer (along with a battery and other electronic components), housed in a hermetically sealed titanium container. Most modern pacemaker generators are roughly the size of a 50-cent piece, and approximately three times as thick.

A lead is a flexible, insulated wire that carries electrical signals back and forth between the pacemaker generator and the heart. One end of the lead is attached to the generator, and the other end is inserted through a vein into the heart. Most pacemakers today use two leads; one is placed in the right atrium and the other in the right ventricle.