BME 181 March 4, 2013
Presented by: Corey Gomes
 J.A. McWilliams
 Late 1800’s
 Electrical impulses
 John Hopps
 Radio frequencies
 Mechanical and electrical methods
 External device
 Electrical signal spreads the length of heart
 Causes heart to contract and pump blood
 Starts in sinoatrial node
 Coordinates timing of heart cell activity
 Atria
 Pumps blood into the hearts two lower chambers
 Ventricles
 Pumps blood to rest of body
 Combination is the heartbeat
 Pacemaker has ability to create this electrical energy
around the heart
 Small device that can take over the hearts electrical system
 Contains:
 Casing
 Nontoxic materials
 Titanium or titanium alloy
 Leads
 Thin insulated wires
 Metal alloy
 Carry electricity from battery to heart
 Circuitry
 Heart monitoring sensors
 Voltage regulators, timing and externally programmable controls
 Resistors, capacitors, diodes and semiconductors
 Battery
 Stores energy to stimulate heart and provides power to sensors
 5 volts of power
 Predictable lifestyle
 Weighs about an ounce
 Implanted just below the collarbone
 2 hour operation
 Single Chamber
 One wire placed into one chamber of the heart (pacing
lead)
 Dual Chamber
 One lead into atrium, one into ventricle
 Rate Responsive
 Automatically adjust to a person’s physical activity
 Arrhythmias
 Problems with rate or rhythm of the heartbeat
 Bradycardia
 Heart beats too slowly
 Damage vital organs
 Atrial fibrillation
 Heart beats too quickly
 Heart failure
 Lack of blood and oxygen to brain
 Cons:




Battery must be replaced
Cannot be near EMI (electromagnetic interference)
Must wait to perform strenuous activity
Cautious with certain types of MRI machines
 Pros:






Average life: 5-10 years
Maintain regular lifestyle
Monitor blood temperature and breathing rate
Small & lightweight
Two hour operation
Low fail rate
 Battery life
 Main focus
 Radioactive isotopes for power
 Lighter and more efficient batteries
 Pacemaker technology to the brain
 Medtronic
 Device can detect problem and call an ambulance while
the patient is asleep
 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC15020





62/
http://www.medicinenet.com/pacemaker/page2.htm
http://www.whoinventedit.net/who-invented-thepacemaker.html
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/healthtopics/topics/pace/
http://www.madehow.com/Volume-3/Pacemaker.html
http://www.arrhythmia.org/pacemaker.html