Why is a Temporary Pacemaker needed?
If the stimulation center (sinus node) cannot generate a warning at a sufficient speed or if the heartbeat slows down excessively due to any interruption on the conduction pathways, the patient's normal heart rate is reduced. Pacemakers placed in the body are needed to provide the necessary heart rate to survive.
How is the temporary pacemaker insertion performed?
The procedure is usually performed with local anesthesia. ; It is performed by placing thin wires called electrodes inside the heart through the large veins that go to the heart in the neck, chest or groin and connecting them to a generator outside the body. This procedure can be done at the bedside or under a scopy (X-ray machine). The procedure usually takes 20-30 minutes. When the need for a temporary pacemaker is eliminated, the wire placed inside the heart is removed.
Can there be any undesirable events associated with temporary pacemaker implantation, what is the risk of the procedure?
Temporary pacemaker application is a small-scale surgical procedure. Therefore, in practice, some undesirable situations, which we call complications, may occur. Due to temporary battery insertion, undesirable events such as rupture of the vessel, aneurysm (expansion), formation of openings called fistula between arteries and veins, bleeding, hematoma (swelling caused by blood leaking from the vessel) may occur. Apart from this, in patients who undergo neck vein intervention, fluid or air accumulation in the lung membrane due to damage to the lung and resulting shortness of breath may develop. In this case, treatment may be required by entering the lung with a needle or placing a tube. In very rare cases, clot formation in the vein and this clot traveling to vital organs may occur. There may also be a puncture in the heart wall and resulting fluid accumulation in the pericardium. This condition can rarely be life-threatening. In these cases, such patients may require intervention by cardiac surgery.
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