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Overview
A pacemaker is
an electronic device used to treat patients who have symptoms caused by abnormally
slow heartbeats. A pacemaker is capable of keeping track of the patient's heartbeats.
If the patient's heart is beating too slowly, the pacemaker will generate electrical
signals similar to the heart's natural signals, causing the heart to beat faster.
The purpose of the pacemaker is to
maintain heartbeats so that adequate oxygen and nutrients are delivered through
the blood to the organs of the body. The
heart is an organ consisting of four chambers that pump blood. The two upper chambers
are called the right and left atria, and the two lower chambers are called the
right and left ventricles. The right atrium receives venous blood (oxygen-poor
blood) from the body and pumps it into the right ventricle. The
right ventricle pumps the oxygen-poor blood to the lungs to receive oxygen. The
oxygen-rich blood from the lungs then travels to the left atrium and is pumped
by the left atrium into the left ventricle. The left ventricle delivers the oxygen-rich
blood to the rest of the body. In
addition to oxygen, the blood transports other nutrients (glucose, electrolytes,
etc.) to the organs. In order to keep a body healthy, the heart must maintain
an adequate heartbeat (heart rate) so the left ventricle to the body delivers
that sufficient amount of oxygen and nutrients. <<backS |