How a pacemaker is implanted

Several have asked about the procedure of implanting a pacemaker. I just ran across the surgeons O.R. report that took a bit of doing to get. Though you might be interested.

DESCRIPTION OF PROCEDURE: After informed consent was obtained, the patient was take to the operating room where the area in the left clavicle was cleaned and prepped. A venogram was done to locate the left subclavian vein. Needle, wire, then introducer and then pacemaker wires were introduced into the left subclavian vein and advanced to the heart and then screwed into place and tested. Pacemaker pocket made and the pacemaker was implanted. The pacemaker leads and pacemaker secured in place and the area was closed with deep subcuticular stitch and then running skin stitch. Patient left the operating room in good condition. Pacemaker set at lower rate of 70, upper rate of 120.

Sounds simple! No wonder I got through it with only a local shot of novacain.

frank

2 Comments

question

by sugarmagnolia - 2008-02-15 04:02:34

greetings!
this is a great piece of information and clears up a lot of questions. any idea what "secured in place" refers to in regards to the PM. is it stiched in place and attached to the pectoral muscle or just to the surrounding tissue?
thanks,
steve

Methods used to secure PM

by ElectricFrank - 2008-02-16 01:02:52

I have a copy of the Medtronics Technical Manual. It describes passing stitching through eyelets on the pacemaker case so it is stitched to the surrounding tissue. I don't have the manual on the leads, but I suspect being small they can just have stitching passed around or over them.

By the way this description is for implantation just under the skin. For implants hidden under breast tissue there would need to be a lot more invasion of tissue and I suspect that general anesthesia might be more comfortable. For me it was fun being alert when they turned it on. It was like turning on a light switch. I was ready to jump off the table and run around the room!

frank

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Member Quotes

I just want to share about the quality of life after my pacemaker, and hopefully increase awareness that lifestyles do not have to be drastically modified just because we are pacemaker recipients.