The idea of having a pacemaker to control your heart may at first appear daunting. The good news is that living with a pacemaker is not a difficult thing so long as one can get back to one’s usual life. What is a heart block and when is a pacemaker necessary? Electrical stimulus is necessary for the heart to beat. Electrical circuit located in the heart muscles ensures regular and synchronous contraction of the chambers of the heart. Heart block results when there is a failure of initiation or conduction of electrical impulse through the heart resulting in slowing of the heart beat. The slowing of the heart rate may cause breathlessness, dizziness and even blackout. Pacemaker is necessary when heart block is causing symptoms or has the potential to cause death. What are the causes of heart block? Premature ageing of the electrical circuit is one of the many causes of heart block. Heart block may also be associated with heart attack or diseases of heart muscles and he
MD, MRCP (UK), FRCP (Edin), FRCP (London), FICC, FCSI, FESC, FACC, FSCAI ....................................... Senior Interventional Cardiologist, Department of Cardiology, Apollo Gleneagles Hospital, Kolkata