A Small Bundle Of Specialized Cells

A pacemaker consists of a battery, computerized generator, and wires with sensors called electrodes. These electrodes detect the electrical activity of the conducting cells and then send the data back to the generator via the wires. If the pacemaker senses irregular activity, it will deliver a low energy pulse to the heart. For reference, the current delivered by a pacemaker is about one thousandth the size of the current needed to start a car. Most people report feeling a fluttering in their chest, if anything at all. Another interventional option is the ICD, which acts as both a pacemaker and a defibrillator. An ICD consists of a pulse generator, which monitors your heartbeat, and the leads. The leads of the ICD have electrodes that connect to the heart chambers. If an irregular rhythm is detected, a low energy pulse is delivered to prompt the heart to start beating normally. If the low energy pulse is not effective or sufficient, the ICD switches to a high energy pulse called defibrillation. People report defibrillation as feeling like you are being kicked in the

There are some exercises and activities that therapists have to modify when dealing with a patient that has a pacemaker.

Signals are administered to the heart muscle in patterns to see if they will stimulate ventricular tachycardia (VT). The test is performed in a safe and controlled electrophysiology laboratory at a hospital or clinic and the patient is in no danger. In an EP study, local anesthetics are used to numb areas in the groin or near the neck, and small catheters are passed into the heart to record its electrical signals. During the study, the physician studies the speed and flow of electrical signals through the heart, identifies rhythm problems and pinpoints areas in the heart's muscle that give rise to abnormal electrical signals(National heart, lung and blood institute,

The heart has distinguished components that allow the pathway of electrical conduction to travel through the heart in order to effectively pump blood through the body. The electrical impulse initiates in the Sinoatrial node (SA node), which is located in the posterior wall of the right atrium, near the superior vena cava. It is also known as being the physiologic pacemaker of the heart and has an intrinsic firing rate of 60-100 impulses/min. From the SA node, the electrical impulse flows directly to the Atrioventricular node (AV node) with the guidance of intercalated discs and gap junctions. The AV node is located in the back section of the interatrial septum near the coronary sinus and tricuspid valve. Here, there is a delay of .1 seconds to allow the atria to contract and the ventricles to fill. In addition, this delay regulates the ventricles if there were an abnormal atrial rhythm. The AV node works as a secondary pacemaker if the SA is irregular, firing at 40-60 pulses/min. After leaving the AV node, the electrical impulse travels to the bundle of His. The bundle of His forms the only myocardial connection between the atria and ventricles. Additionally, the bundle of His divides the bundle branches into left and right and innervates the ventricles through Purkinje fibers.

Earl Bakken created the first external, battery powered pacemaker. A pacemaker is an electronic device that supports the cardiac system. This device regulates a patient's

Pacemakers are not assembled in a single step, but in a series of steps to be put together after all parts have been constructed. A pacemaker consists of a battery, leads, and a motherboard. The battery is made using lithium and iodine. The iodine is mixed with a polymer, and this mixture is then heated until it has formed a charge-transfer complex. This is then poured into half-moon shaped cell that contains a lithium anode and a cathode collecting screen. The iodine polymer cools and forms the cathode. The battery is then sealed to become water-tight. After the battery is made, the leads, made of metal alloys, are formed. The wire is made by heating the metal to a molten temperature then pressing the metal into a certain sized hole.

“An Electrocardiogram, or ECG or EKG, is a recording of the hearts electrical activity as a graph over a period of time, as detected by electrodes attached to the outer surface of the skin and recorded by a device external of the body”(Boundless). The graph of an ECG can identify various things initiated by the heart, such as its rate, rhythm, a decrease in blood flow, and a possible enlargement. For a healthy individual, a typical ECG shows the whole cardiac cycle or heart beat which includes a P wave (Atrial depolarization), a QRS complex (Ventricular depolarization), and a T wave (Ventricular repolarization). The ECG’s first spike or P wave is triggered by the Sinoatrial node (SA node), which is also known as the pacemaker and the electrical impulse from the atria to the ventricles is conducted by the atrioventricular node (AV node). During each heart beat the heart muscle depolarizes, this is detected on the skin where the ECG electrodes are placed by the machine and then translated into a linear representation (Boundless). The resting membrane potential of a heart cell is -60mv, when an influx of positive ions enter the cell (NA+ and CA++) depolarization takes place causing the heart to contract. This action takes place during the peak of the P wave (Atria systole). The QRS complex represent when the left and right ventricles contract and depolarize, also called ventricular systole. This action normally takes place at the highest amplitude in the complex,

Arrhythmia is one of the diseases in which a pacemaker will be needed, but there are some different types of Arrhythmia, these include:

The Automated External Defibrillator (AED) is a portable electronic device that analyzes a heart’s electrical activity and determines whether fibrillation (a shock of electricity) is advised. The device is located in public places where large groups of people gather and is made simple enough for anyone to use in case of an emergency. The use of an AED is also taught in first aid classes, and familiarity is important for lifeguards and first responders; since heart failure is one of the leading causes of death, the operation of an AED should an important skill everyone has.

As knowledge of the human body expanded a range of electrotherapeutic experimentations were conducted by pioneering scientists and physicians. Methods utilized both direct current and static electricity. It became clear that the heart was an organ especially sensitive to electricity as well and as early as 1788, attempts were made to treat irregular heartbeats with an electric shock. By 1932, a primitive form of today 's pacemaker was invented as a hand-cranked device by Albert Hyman (Engineering and Technology History Wiki, 2015). Hyman’s pacemaker was powered by a hand-wound spring-driven generator that provided six minutes of pace making without rewinding (Haddad, Houben and Serdijin, 2006). Today’s pacemaker weighs about 28 grams and is approximately the size of an Australian 50 cent piece (Medtronic n.d.).

Today more than 400,000 Americans each year use pacemakers to regulate their heart (American Heart Association,

Paul Zoll from Boston USA came up with the initial external pacemaker in 1952. Later, R. Elmquist& others went into the record on the initial triumphant use of internal pacemakers. A steady activities of fruitful clinical experiments has to a great extent prolonged the suggestions that ICD embedding in the inhibition of sudden cardiac related death (Graffin and Rimmerman 2012).

Pulse generator. The pulse generator contains a small computer and a memory system that is programmed to keep the heart beating at a certain rate. The pulse generator also produces the electrical signal that triggers the heart to beat. This is implanted under the skin of the upper chest, near the collarbone.

The four types of tissues consist of Epithelial, Connective, Muscle, and Neural tissue. Epithelial tissue consists of many layers of cells which provide protection, manages permeability, sensation, and produces specialized secretions. It takes a special cell to be able to produce secretions, and these are called gland cells. Cells like fibroblasts, macrophages, fat cells, and mast cells help perform the function of Connective tissue. Connective tissue’s many functions consist of protection, transportation of materials, storage of leftover energy, and defense. Muscle Tissue is specialized for contraction, so all cells belonging to the Muscle tissue must be able to help

In early twentieth century, pacemakers were using external powers which is extremely unwieldy. Afterwards, mercury batteries were added to pacemaker. In 1970s, by the development of electricity, lithium