A pacemaker is a small battery-powered device that can be implanted under the skin to deliver electrical pulses to the heart muscle in order to make it beat at a normal rhythm. A pacemaker may be used when the heart beats too slowly or has any type of abnormal rhythm. Abnormal rhythms are generally known as arrhythmias.

Pacemakers may be necessary when abnormal heart rhythms are diagnosed. Pacemakers are used to treat the following conditions:

• Bradyarrythmias - slow heart rhythms that may occur as a result of disease in the heart's conduction system.
• Syncope - unexplained fainting spells
• Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy - a condition that causes the heart muscle to thicken making it hard for the hear to function properly.
• Congestive heart failure - a condition where the heart can't pump enough blood through the body.
• Bundle branch blocks - a condition that interferes with the heart's normal electrical activity.
• Cardiac dysrythmias - unusual or suboptimal heart rhythms.

For some, medications may be adequate to control the arrhythmias. Other times, a tempporary pacemaker may be implanted. In addition, a particular type of surgery called left atrial catheter ablation may help improve cardiac electrical rhythms adequately to avoid implanting a pacemaker.

Prior to any surgery, your doctor will give you a complete medical examination and evaluate your overall health and your health history. You may be required to get additional tests such as X-rays and lab tests. Your doctor will also review with you the potential risks and benefits of the operation and will ask you to sign a consent form. It is important that you ask questions and be sure you understand the reason for the surgery as well as the risks.

It is important that you inform your doctor if you have allergies to any medications, what medications you are taking, and if you have bleeding problems. It is also important to inform your doctor if you are pregnant.

Your doctor will also give you specific instructions on how to prepare for surgery, including guidelines on eating and drinking, smoking, taking or avoiding certain vitamins and medications. Carefully following these instructions will help your surgery go more smoothly.

Depending on the circumstances of your surgery, you may be instructed to do the following:

• Completely empty your colon and cleanse your intestines prior to surgery. You may be requested to drink clear liquids only for one or several days prior to surgery.
• Stop eating or drinking after midnight the night before the operation except medications that your doctor has told you are permissible to take with a sip of water the morning of surgery.
• Plan for your care and recovery after the operation. Find someone to drive you home after the surgery. Allow for time to rest and try to find people to help you with your day-to-day duties.
• Stop smoking at least six to eight weeks prior to surgery as smoking delays wound healing. Smokers are also more likely to have breathing problems during surgery.

You will most likely stay overnight in the hospital after your surgery but discharged the following day. The surgery is generally performed under local anesthesia and takes about three hours. You will experience some soreness around the incision site after surgery.

In your hospital room, a special monitor will record your heart rhythm to ensure that the pacemaker is functioning properly.

Talk to your doctor about what activities are safe to resume after surgery. Avoid jerky movements with your arms in the weeks following surgery.

If you the area around your incision site becomes red, hot, swollen or drains fluid, contact your doctor immediately. During follow-up visits, your doctor will ensure the pacemaker is working and adjust settings if necessary.

A variety of factors may influence the cost of the surgery. They include:

• Insurance coverage
• Pre-existing health
• Insurance co-pay
• Location of the facility

These factors vary depending on you and your situation.

The cost of each procedure can vary dramatically based upon age, location, gender, and insurance coverage. HealthGrades provides detailed cost estimates which include the costs of the procedure, drugs, hospital stay, and more. Each cost estimate is easy to understand and provides medical terms you need to know.

The detailed cost estimate for Pacemaker Implant, includes costs for:

• Pacemaker implant through xiphoid
• Pacemaker implant in the chambers or ventricles of the heart, or in both
• and Revision or relocation of skin pocket for pacemaker.