Pacemakers
If your heartbeat is too slow or irregular, your surgeon might insert an electronic pacemaker to regulate your heart rate. The permanent pacemaker is inserted through a small incision in the upper chest close to a major vein. Then we move the pacemaker wire through the vein and into the heart. The wire carries signals between the heart and the pacemaker, which we attach to the wire and place in a protected area underneath the skin or under the muscle. The pacemaker then delivers an electrical impulse whenever it detects a slowing or irregularity of heart rhythm.
Implantable Defibrillator
Similar to a pacemaker, a defibrillator is another device implanted into the chest that monitors heart rate. While pacemakers are used when a patient suffers from a slow or irregular heartbeat, defibrillators are used when a patient's heartbeat sometimes becomes too fast. The defibrillator can sense when the heart rate increases, and will then send out electrical signals to bring the heart rate back down to normal.
