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The Need for a Pacemaker
The Need for a PacemakerDonald Williams is an avid cyclist, but a couple of years ago, he started to notice he couldn’t pedal as far.“I was still riding, but I was feeling tired. That bothered me, but I thought, "Oh, well I'll just try to pedal harder.”But it wasn't helping.” –Donald, PatientIt turns out Donald had an abnormal heart rhythm, or arrhythmia.“I wasn't aware that that was the reason, but it was the reason. It was the reason that I was becoming more tiredthan usual.” – Donald, PatientWhen working properly, the heart muscle continuously pumps blood, carrying oxygen and nutrients throughout thebody.The heart is divided into four chambers. When it beats, first the upper two chambers, called the atria, contract,releasing blood to the lower chambers, called ventricles. Next, the ventricles contract, pushing blood out to the rest ofthe body.These contractions are controlled by electrical impulses that travel through the heart at what should be a steadyrhythm.But in people like Donald the electrical impulses fire too slowly, which can cause skipped beats and bradycardia or aslow heart rate.“Most of the time bradycardia is not life threatening. However, in certain cases, patients can have exertionalfatigue, they can become light headed, dizzy or they could pass out.”- Gabriel Breuer, MD Cardiac ElectrophysiologistFor people who are prone to bradycardia, doctors often recommend a pacemaker, which is designed to help the heartbeat properly. After Donald’s pacemaker was implanted, he had a short recovery period, and then was back in action.“I got back on my bicycle, I went back into the gym and did my workouts, working slowly towards the effort that Ihad been putting out prior to this, and everything turned out fine.” –Donald, PatientPage 1 of 1This program is for informational purposes only. Publisher disclaims all guarantees regarding the accuracy, completeness,or suitability of this video for medical decision making. For all health related issues please contact your healthcare provider.HCHA1002395 EN TheNeedForAPacemaker.pdf© The Wellness Network
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