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Definition

By Mayo Clinic staff

Heart-Healthy Living

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A pacemaker is a small device, about the size of a half dollar piece, that's placed under the skin near your heart to help control your heartbeat. A pacemaker is implanted as part of what's often referred to as "cardiac resynchronization therapy."

People may need a pacemaker for a variety of reasons — mostly due to one of a group of conditions called arrhythmias, in which the heart's rhythm is abnormal.

Normal aging of the heart may disrupt your heart rate, making it beat too slowly. Heart muscle damage resulting from a heart attack is another common cause of disruptions of your heartbeat. Some medications can affect your heart rate as well. For some, genetic conditions cause an abnormal heart rate. Regardless of the underlying cause of an abnormal heart rate, a pacemaker may fix it.

A pacemaker can often be implanted in your chest with a minor surgery. You may need to take some precautions in your daily life after your pacemaker is installed.

Why it's done
References
  1. Tracy CM, et al. 2012 ACCF/AHA/HRS focused update of the 2008 guidelines for device-based therapy of cardiac rhythm abnormalities — A report of the American College of Cardiology Foundation/American Heart Association Task Force on Practice Guidelines. The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery. 2012;144:e27.
  2. What is a pacemaker? National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/pace/. Accessed Jan. 29, 2013.
  3. What is a pacemaker? American Heart Association. http://www.heart.org/idc/groups/heart-public/@wcm/@hcm/documents/downloadable/ucm_300451.pdf. Accessed Jan. 29, 2013.
  4. How the healthy heart works. American Heart Association. http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/CongenitalHeartDefects/AboutCongenitalHeartDefects/How-the-Healthy-Heart-Works_UCM_307016_Article.jsp. Accessed Jan. 26, 2013.
  5. Fuster V, ed., et al. Hurst's The Heart. 13th ed. New York, N.Y.: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2011. http://www.accessmedicine.com/resourceTOC.aspx?resourceID=5. Accessed Jan. 28, 2013.
  6. Goldberger AL, et al. Clinical Electrocardiography: A simplified approach. 8th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Elsevier Saunders; 2013. http://www.mdconsult.com/books/page.do?eid=4-u1.0-B978-0-323-08786-5..C2010-0-67269-5&isbn=978-0-323-08786-5&uniqId=402077730-3#4-u1.0-B978-0-323-08786-5..C2010-0-67269-5--TOP. Accessed Jan. 29, 2013.
  7. Saxon LA, et al. Overview of cardiac pacing in heart failure. http://www.uptodate.com/home. Accessed Jan. 29, 2013.
  8. McKean SC, et al. Principles and Practice of Hospital Medicine. New York, N.Y: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2012. http://www.accessmedicine.com/resourceTOC.aspx?resourceID=749. Accessed Jan. 25, 2013.
  9. Lampert R, et al. HRS Expert Consensus Statement on the Management of Cardiovascular Implantable Electronic Devices (CIEDs) in patients nearing end of life or requesting withdrawal of therapy. 2010;7:1008.
  10. Grogan M (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. March 17, 2013.
MY00276 April 17, 2013

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