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Cardiology is a medical specialty that deals with management of ailments of the heart.
It includes diagnosis and treatment of disorders such as congenital heart defects, coronary artery disease, heart failure, valvular heart disease and so on.
Cardiac devices are basically used to control the irregularities caused by the heart’s electrical system, such as abnormal heartbeat and heart rhythm problems. Sometimes medication, lifestyle changes, or other treatments do not work. In such cases, an implantable device may be recommended.
What is a Cardiac Device?
A cardiac device refers to an instrument that helps to keep your heart beating at a normal rhythm.
If you suffer from heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HF- rEF) and require a device, your healthcare specialist will recommend you the best type based on your needs.
The device continues to collect information about heart rhythms after the device is placed.
This information is passed on wirelessly, either automatically, through prescheduled transmissions, or manually, when you notice symptoms. Remote monitoring allows reviewing your heart’s electrical activity without the aid of any doctor.
Why do you need a Cardiac Device?
When treatment, medication or change in lifestyle does not work, the doctor recommends using an implantable device. Cardiac devices can act as a remedy for various heart disorders on a long-term basis.
Furthermore, Cardiac devices manage irregularities caused by the heart’s electrical system, such as uneven heartbeat and heart rhythm ailments.
Types of Cardiac Devices
Here are a few cardiac devices that may be recommended by your doctor depending upon your heart condition.
1. Pacemaker: A pacemaker helps to manage the body’s electrical system to better control the heart rhythm and blood flow. Pacemakers are normally the size of a half-dollar. It encompasses a tiny computer, a battery, and 1-3 wire leads.
This device is used to control bradycardia, a condition that results in the slow beating of the heart (less than 60 beats per minute). The pacemaker generates electrical pulses that maintain the rate of the heart beating.
There are two types of pacemakers. The traditional model is implanted under the skin and joins to the heart through electronic leads. A leadless, smaller pacemaker is inserted inside the heart and does not need transvenous leads.
2. Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD): An implantable cardiac defibrillator (ICD) is an electronic device that is implanted inside the body. It consistently traces your heart rhythm and triggers a small shock to the heart muscle if the rhythm becomes irregular (arrhythmia).
ICDs also help in treating tachycardia, also known as a fast heartbeat, and manage your heart rate and pump blood effectively. This device causes electric shocks to the heart to fix irregular heart rhythms. Doctors implant ICDs under the skin of the chest and connect them to the heart with tiny wire leads, similar to a pacemaker.
However, a shock at times can be quite uncomfortable. However, this shock gets over very quickly. Some ICDs also use a pacing system instead of a shock. This kind of ICD delivers a swift impulse to the heart muscle to get it back into a normal rhythm.
3. Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy (CRT): CRT or biventricular pacing is a special type of pacemaker which has three leads, one in the right upper chamber, one in the right lower chamber and other in the venous system of the heart which stimulates the left lower chamber of the heart. They re synchronize the lower two chambers of the heart and are useful in patients with poor pumping capacity with evidence of loss of synchronization between the lower two chambers of heart diagnosed as per some standard ECG criteria. CRT with additional defibrillation properties is termed CRT-D to be differentiated from normal CRT or CRT-P.
4. Implantable Cardiac Loop Recorders: Your cardiac specialist can recommend a wireless cardiac monitor to be placed. This device is known as a loop recorder. This device constantly records information about your heart’s rhythm for several years.
This device is smaller than the size of an AAA battery and is implanted beneath the skin of the upper chest to record information about the heart’s electrical activity. It can be used to figure out the source of an arrhythmia.
People who suffer from mysterious fainting spells or heart palpitations that can’t be determined by short-term heart rhythm recording devices are usually recommended Loop recorders.
This device may also be recommended for people with atrial fibrillation, which delivers a fast and irregular heartbeat. Or people who suffer from stroke for which a cause has not been determined are also recommended this device.
Final words
Many cardiac devices have several features that allow your healthcare provider to keep track of your heart rhythm and activity level.
Your Cardiologist uses the information sent from the device to ensure you are receiving the best treatment for your disorder or not.
To conclude, cardiac devices play a crucial role in maintaining the health of patients’ hearts. Neotia Getwel Healthcare Centre has a specialised unit for Cardiac Rhythm related issues, Cardiac Devices (Pacemaker, ICD & CRT) Implantation backed by experienced Cardiologist & Cardiac Electrophysiologist.
Book your appointment here.
Disclaimer
Though all attempts are made to provide correct information on the subject, inadvertent & typographical errors arising out of manual intervention cannot be ruled out. It is requested to bring any such discrepancies to the notice of the blogger for correction.
