# Pacemaker Implantation > Citation bundle for Pacemaker Implantation on The Treatment Registry. > URL: https://thetreatmentregistry.com/procedures/pacemaker-implantation > Bundle URL: https://thetreatmentregistry.com/api/citations/procedures/pacemaker-implantation - Category: cardiology ## Description A pacemaker, also known as an artificial cardiac pacemaker, is an implanted medical device that generates electrical pulses delivered by electrodes to one or more of the chambers of the heart. Each pulse causes the targeted chamber(s) to contract and pump blood, thus regulating the function of the electrical conduction system of the heart. ## Overview A pacemaker, or artificial cardiac pacemaker, is an implanted medical device that generates electrical pulses delivered by electrodes to one or more chambers of the heart. Each pulse causes the targeted chamber or chambers to contract and pump blood, so the device regulates the heart's electrical conduction system. The primary purpose of a permanent pacemaker is to maintain an even heart rate, either because the heart's own natural pacemaker is producing an inadequate or irregular beat, or because there is a block in the heart's conduction system. Modern pacemakers are externally programmable, allowing a cardiologist to select the pacing mode most appropriate for an individual patient. Most are demand pacemakers, in which stimulation is based on the changing needs of the circulatory system, while others deliver impulses at a fixed rate. Some related devices extend these functions: an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator combines pacemaker and defibrillator functions in a single implant, and biventricular pacemakers use multiple electrodes to stimulate different positions within the ventricles and improve their synchronisation. Other forms of pacing are temporary rather than implanted; transcutaneous, or external, pacing is used to stabilise dangerously slow heart rhythms as a short-term bridge, and temporary epicardial pacing may be used during open-heart surgery if the operation produces atrioventricular block. ## Common risks - your wound gets more swollen, tender or redder – redness may be difficult to see on brown or black skin - blood, pus or clear liquid is leaking from your wound - your temperature is very high, or you feel hot, cold or shivery - any symptoms you had before the procedure come back or get worse - you have severe difficulty breathing – you're gasping, choking or not able to get words out - your chest feels tight or heavy ## FAQs ### What pacemakers are for? A pacemaker can be used to treat some heart conditions. These include: ### How a pacemaker is fitted? Before having a pacemaker, you'll have an assessment at the hospital. You may need to have [blood tests](https://www.nhs.uk/tests-and-treatments/blood-tests/), a chest [X-ray](https://www.nhs.uk/tests-and-treatments/x-ray/) or [echocardiogram](https://www.nhs.uk/tests-and-treatments/echocardiogram/). ### What happens on the day? You'll have a pacemaker fitted in hospital by a cardiologist. ### What is a pacemaker? A pacemaker is an implanted medical device that generates electrical pulses delivered by electrodes to one or more chambers of the heart. Each pulse makes the targeted chamber contract and pump blood, regulating the heart's electrical conduction system. ### Why might someone need a pacemaker? A pacemaker maintains an even heart rate when the heart's own natural pacemaker produces an inadequate or irregular heartbeat, or when there is a block in the heart's electrical conduction system. ### What is a demand pacemaker? In a demand, or on-demand, pacemaker the stimulation of the heart is based on the dynamic demand of the circulatory system. Other pacemakers instead send out a fixed rate of impulses regardless of the body's needs. ### What is an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator? An implantable cardioverter-defibrillator is a specific type of device that combines pacemaker and defibrillator functions within a single implantable unit. ### What is a biventricular pacemaker? A biventricular pacemaker has multiple electrodes that stimulate different positions within the ventricles, the lower chambers of the heart, in order to improve their synchronisation.