Since the invention and initial use of the pacemaker in early 1960’s, the pacemaker has pumped life into millions of people up to this day and continues to prolong the lives of many. Majority of its uses today are mostly in the following situations:
-Ageing or heart disease which damages sinus node’s ability to set correct pace for heartbeat. The damage cause abnormal heartbeats or long pauses between breathes.
- Slow/Fast heartbeat symptoms
- Heart muscle problems
There are also many uses and applications of the pacemaker besides the above listed ones.
One major aspect on the use of the pacemaker is described in the figure below. The figure below shows that the pacemaker is used mostly by the aged population (60 and older). This is due to the fact that as people age, the risk of heart disease is higher. One common related problem is arteriosclerosis otherwise known as “hardening of the arteries” leading to increase in blood pressure with age.
Some other changes to an aging heart involves:
Stiffer blood vessels, which thickens some heart walls that help with blood flow
Valves become thicker and stiffer causing leaks or problems with pumping blood out of the heart.
There is also an increase in the size of sections of the heart
Hence by the above, it is concluded that the older …show more content…
The doctor then replace the generator along with the battery before the battery starts to run down. Replacing the generator and battery is less-involved surgery than the original surgery to implant the pacemaker. The main limitation of the pacemaker due to the battery is that surgery becomes a routine process, leaving the client weaker as they age and also costing the patient an increasing amount of money with each surgical process undertaken. Small devices such as headphones are also not allowed near the heart of a patient with a pacemaker due to the magnetic