Pacemakers

Yes

No it does not harm the pacemaker but It will harm the heart more with continued smoking which is a good source of the damage that may have been the cause of your need for a pacemaker in the first place..

Pacemakers are set by the surgeon-physician at the time it is implanted. Most times, the pacemaker is simply set to a normal heart rate (around 70-80 beats per minute). The primary function of the pacemaker is to restore a more regular beat when the heart cannot maintain a normal heart rate. You should consult your physician-surgeon for particulars about your pacemaker, its use, function, and signs/symptoms to watch for after the pacemaker is implanted.

The primary pacemaker of the mammalian heart is the sino-atrial node. If the SA node fails, the atrioventricular node (AV node) takes over pacemaking.

The band "Gerry and the Pacemakers" is from England. They were originally called Gerry Marsden & The Mars-Bars. Then the Mars Candy Company complained and they had to change their name to "Gerry and The Pacemakers".

the patient will die

During this visit, the doctor will make any necessary adjustments to the settings of the pacemaker.

There are a range of CPT codes for this procedure because of different specific factors. The codes range from 33233 through 33237.

Are you referring to CPT for relocation of pacemaker pocket? In that case the CPT code will be 33222. You will get more details on this code on supercoder.com.

The three components of a pacemaker are the pulse generator, pacing lead and the programmer. The pulse generator is like the brain of the heart. It controls everything.The pacing lead stimulates the heart to beat. The programmer enables the physician to evaluate the pacemaker's performance and change settings without surgery.

Welding is possible by someone with a pacemaker. The arc generated by the welding process is very concentrated and will not cause a problem in someone implanted with the device. It is important to be especially cautious however to avoid electrical shock as such an incident may damage a pacemaker or cause it to fail.

Welding on a pacemaker is extremely dangerous,

It is a must to take an opinion from a certified doctor

I am not sure of the definition of "pacemaker tech" but I can tell you a little bit about how the industry works.

If you are a "field tech" for one of the pacemaker manufacturing companies, you will likely be in the range of $75k to $95k. These jobs are usually physically taxing as the typical work day is 10-12 hours 5 days a week. In addition, you will likely be "on call" several weekends and holidays and weeknights a year depending on your geography. A typical work week is often more than 60 hours. At the standard RN/BSN hourly wage, provided you were working that many hours per week, you would certainly make more.

I mention the RN pay scale because many field techs are nurses or individuals with advanced science or engineering educations.

If you desire to work in a private clinic as the pacer clinician, you will likely need a PA-C license or an advanced nursing degree as you will have to make clinical decisions about the patients cardiac status and report directly to an MD. Typical pay scales would apply.

Clinics will sometimes use LVNs that report to a BSN or MSN overseeing clinician. Again LVN pay scales would apply.

If you desire to become a pacer tech with no certification background, you will likely not get hired as the field is becoming quite competative.

Due to price pressure on pacemakers and ICDs, many companies are having to lay off experienced field staff. Many of those persons are going to work in private clinics. That leaves few slots for new comers to the industry.

A persons best bet is to get a nursing or PA-C degree and focus their clinical rotations in cardiology and electrophysiology.

Basically, $65k-$125K depending on your education and experience.

As far as "Pacer Sales Rep" goes, its all over the board. While some old school reps can make over $200K, those days are soon to be over with the new models in health care payments.

If sales is you game, look elsewhere.

If patient care is your game, look at medical school, nursing school, PA school.

If device develompment is your game, get a degree in biomed/engineering.

Canadian, John Hopps invented the first cardiac pacemaker and he was trained as an electrical engineer at the University of Manitoba and joined the National Research Council in 1941, where he conducted research on hypothermia. While experimenting with radio frequency heating to restore body temperature, Hopps discovered if a heart stopped beating due to cooling, it could be started again by artificial stimulation using mechanical or electric means. This lead to Hopps' invention of the world's first cardiac pacemaker in 1950. His device was far too large to be implanted inside of the human body. It was an external pacemaker.

SA node (Sinus Node)

Patients undergoing surgical pacemaker implantation usually stay in the hospital overnight.

Antibiotic therapy given as a precautionary measure can reduce the risk of pacemaker infection.

this is a particular setting on a pacemaker which essentially senses if the ventricle depolarises, if it does not the PM will activate it and ensure the heart carries on beating.



Also:

A demand pacemaker (there are several types) kicks in after your cardiac function varies outside a pre-set normal rate. It then brings your heartbeat into a more efficient rhythm. (Sinus-rhythm.)

A demand pacemaker does not take the place of an implanted defibrillator! If a genuinely life-threatening cardiac arrhythmia develops, it takes a defibrillator -- an implanted one or an external unit used by someone trained to respond -- to correct ventricular fibrillation. If it is not corrected, v-fib is fatal.

Yes

How many postoperative days are usually assigned for the global period following implantation of a pacemaker is "90"

My grandmother received one today - she was 99 Oct 25th 2007.

Yes, in the state of Tennessee it does. I have been denied by all independent agencies, and by TennCare, too. They all say I am uninsurable even though I have lifetime coverage on any and all heart problems through a workers compensation settlement.

Many people who are denied insurance use other alternatives.

If your employer has a group plan, that is your best bet. The advantage of a group plan is that pretty much everyone is accepted, regardless of health. If you can't get coverage that way, check with your state. Depending on where you live, you may be able to get coverage though a state program. In Colorado, I am under the state's "CoverColorado" program and in Wisconsin I was covered under "HIRSP". (I've had a pacemaker since I was 20.) Check out your state's department of health for available programs. It seems that not all states have such programs in place, though I know a few (like Tennessee) are in the process of implemeting such a program.

When a new battery is required, the unit can be exchanged in a simple outpatient procedure.

After the patient is anesthetized, or sedated and the area numbed, a needle is used to locate and enter the left subclavian arterery. A guide wire allows exchanging a plastic cannula for the needle. Two or more pacing wires are passed to the intended areas of the heart. Each wire is secured by means of a cork screw shaped needle which is twisted into the heart tissue. If the wire locations are proven to be effective by pacing the heart with an external signal generator, the surgeon will create a pocket between the skin and muscle layers about one inch away from where the wirers entered the artery. The wirers are tunneled to the pocket and then connected to the pacemaker. Once the pacer is interrogated wirelessly to enshure proper function, the pocket is sutured closed.