A guide to orient the person with a pacemaker

The pacemaker is a crucial device for people suffering from a heart rhythm disorder. The Spanish Society of Cardiology (SEC) and the Spanish Agency for Medicines and Health Products (AEMPS) offer a guide to resolve doubts and guide the person with a pacemaker.

A pacemaker, one of the examples of technology in the cardiac sector. EFE/Handout

Thus, the new edition of the “Guide for the person with a pacemaker” has a more accessible and intuitive web page that will solve the most frequent questions of people who need a cardiac pacemaker.

According to the last report published in 2022 by the Heart Rhythm Association of the Spanish Society of Cardiology (National Pacemaker Registry), in 2021 they were implanted in Spain 38,893 pacemakerswhich represents an increase in the 8,3 % with respect to the previous year.

The mean age of patients who receive this device is 79.8 yearswith more than 50 % of implanted devices in people over eighty years of age. The report also reveals that males predominatewith a mean age at implantation slightly higher than that of women.

In addition, it has also increased by a 25 % the use of new technologies such as leadless pacemakerwith 652 devices already implanted.

How does a pacemaker work?

The pacemaker is a device that makes the heart beat again in a similar way to that of a healthy person through artificial stimulation, which is made up of a generating device and one or more cables.

It is used in patients suffering heart failurea disease that affects millions of people worldwide and usually appears in patients who have suffered from a disease, such as myocardial infarction, chronic coronary disease, longstanding high blood pressure or heart valve diseases.

What is life like with a pacemaker?

Wearing a pacemaker does not prevent them from carrying out any activity, so the ideal is for the person with the pacemaker to forget that they are wearing it, although they always go to the pertinent check-ups and follow the prescribed treatment.

Thus, the guide points out that:

• You can play sports without fearalthough as a precaution it is advisable not to practice sports in which you can receive a blow, such as football or martial arts.
• Walking, swimming or cycling are the most recommended activities.
• Wear clothes about the pacemaker and avoid straps backpacks or bags that press on the device if its weight is significant.
• It is possible to travel in any means of transport.
• can be drive again vehicles two weeks after pacemaker placement.
• Sunbathe with caution. Skin should not be exposed on the pacemaker generator for long hours because it could overheat the metal that surrounds the device and cause an internal burn.
• can be maintained sexual intercourse completely normal.
• Diet does not have to be affectedbut you will simply have to follow your doctor’s recommendations depending on the heart condition you have.

Possible complications with the pacemaker, in the guide

After the implantation of a pacemaker, uncertainty and even fear can arise, in addition to the discomfort derived from the surgery itself. Along the same lines, the guide indicates some of the incidences that can occur and, above all, it is best to consult:

• He dressing that covers the points is stained: A bloodstain may appear like a nickel or dime.
• Increase of the area in which the generator is installed, as well as Color change y pain.
• appearance of a mancha in the area of ​​the implant: sometimes the skin rejects one of the stitches, so it must be monitored and taken care of until its final closure.
• Dizziness or loss of consciousness.
• Symptoms the same or similar to those prior to the implant.
• Tiredness and difficulty to carry out day-to-day activities.
• sounds or vibrations produced by the pacemaker: they may be warning of some change.

“Guide for the person with a pacemaker”

When will I have to change my pacemaker?

Pacemakers are devices with a limited duration that varies depending on the type.

In the case of unicameral pacemakers y bicameralthe duration can range from eight to ten years. The one of the tricamerales it is generally similar, with a few years less, according to the SEC and the AEMPS.

The battery of a pacemaker runs out in a progressive and predictable way, so it is controlled in the revisions. The monitoring system indicates the state of the battery and, in most models, the operating time remaining.

Once the battery runs out, it is necessary to change the entire device, so a system with the latest technical innovations will be placed in each replacement.

As for the replacement, the procedure is usually simpler and shorter than the first implant, since it is only necessary to replace the generator, using the cables that are already in place.

Subsequently, the patient will have to follow a series of recommendations similar to those recommended after the first implant.