It is a battery prepared to relieve heart problems related to heart rhythm. It is the name given to the devices used to generate sufficient electrical stimulation in case the heart cannot generate sufficient electrical stimulation and/or cannot adequately deliver it to the entire heart tissue.

How does a Pacemaker operate?
The heart is an organ that works with the electrical impulses it produces. In a normal heart, electrical impulses are initiated from a region called the sinoatrial node in the right atrium, and transmitted to all heart muscle cells via the conduction system, and rhythmic contraction of the heart is ensured within certain speed limits. Any disruption in the production and/or transmission of these electrical impulses in the heart causes diseases (arrhythmias) by preventing normal heart contractions. As a result of the diseases that occur, the heart cannot pump enough blood that the body needs and complaints such as fainting, dizziness, fatigue, drowsiness and palpitations occur. If the heart cannot generate sufficient electrical impulse and/or cannot adequately deliver it to the entire heart tissue, the devices used to generate sufficient electrical impulses are called pacemakers. Pacemakers are divided into two as temporary and permanent pacemakers. “Temporary pacemakers” are designed for emergency use while “Permanent pacemakers” are designed for continuous use.

Pacemakers consist of an electrical stimulus generator and an electrode wire that transmits this electrical stimulus to the heart tissue. The generators of permanent pacemakers that produce the stimulus today weigh 12.5-15.5 g and have lithium-containing batteries. These batteries are placed under the skin on the right or left chest wall of the body. One end of the electrode wire, which carries the electrical impulse produced in the generator to the heart tissue, is connected to the generator, and the other end is inserted into the atrium or ventricle of the heart by passing through the blood veins. The operating speed of the inserted Permanent Pacemaker can be adjusted externally according to the patient's needs. Depending on the patient's disease, the characteristics of the pacemaker and environmental factors, the average operating life of the pacemakers varies between 5-10 years. Thanks to the electronic system inside the generator, the device shows how much operating life is left on average during the pacemaker checks made at regular intervals, and in this way, the generator is replaced on time. Today, approximately 6,000,000 patients are implanted with permanent pacemakers per year, and all kinds of pacemaker implantation and battery replacement procedures are performed in our hospital.