38 Irrawaddy Road #08-51, Mount Elizabeth Novena Specialist Centre, Singapore 329563
38 Irrawaddy Road #08-51, Mount Elizabeth Novena Specialist Centre, Singapore 329563
Insertion and removal of Loop Recorder
A Loop Recorder is a monitoring device that is able to continuously record your heart rhythm for up to three years. It is implanted underneath the chest and is used to find the underlying reasons behind faintings, heart palpitations, and irregular heartbeats.
Pacemaker implantation
Permanent Pacemakers (PPM) are recommended for patients with slower than normal heartbeats. This condition (known as bradycardia) can cause dizziness, chest pain, confusion, and memory problems. The pacemaker corrects this condition by stimulating the heart to beat faster and more regularly. It is implanted under the skin in your chest and is connected to the heart via two leads.
During the procedure, wires are inserted into a vein and guided to your heart via X-ray imaging. One end of each wire is attached to your heart while the other end is attached to the pacemaker’s pulse generator. This pulse generator is attached under the skin beneath the collarbone.
Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy (CRT) device implantation
(CRT) is used to improve the heart function of patients who suffer from heart failure. It uses a pacemaker to restore regular timing of the heartbeat. CRT treatment involves having a pacemaker placed under the skin. Wires from the CRT device send electrical signals which can correct heart rhythm.
Automatic Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillators (AICD) are a type of Implantable Defibrillator that monitor and correct life-threatening arrhythmias which can cause stroke, heart failure, or death. While a pacemaker consistently maintains regular heart rhythm, Implantable Defibrillators only intervene with shocks to the heart when abnormal rhythms are detected.
Similar to a pacemaker, AICDs are placed in a pouch under the skin. Wires are guided through the vein and attached to the heart to monitor rhythms and send shocks as required.
There are some risks when implanting PPMs and AICDs. They include infections, swelling, bleeding, bruising, blood clots,lung collapse, and damage to blood vessels. In rare cases, the movement of the devices or their leads can cause displacement.
Once you have such devices implanted in your body, there are special precautions which need to be taken. Avoid magnetic fields from other electronics which can disrupt your pacemaker or defibrillator, inform your doctors before going for medical procedures or body scans, and stay away from power-generating equipment like welding equipment or powerline transformers.
Automated Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (AICD) implantation
An AICD is an electronic device that is implanted into your chest to correct abnormal heart rhythms. They are used to treat life-threatening conditions by providing bursts of high-speed pacing whenever abnormal rhythms are detected. If this method fails, AICDs can also deliver electrical shocks to reset to normal heart rhythm.
Defibrillators monitor your heart rate and help prevent or stop dangerous abnormal rhythms that could lead to cardiac arrests. Pacemakers use steady low-energy pulses to keep your heartbeat within a normal rhythm.
The cardiac devices we use are built with protective shields so the majority of items you use day to day are safe. In general, items that generate electricity, or transmit wireless signals such as a power drill, or mobile phones have electromagnetic fields around them which may affect your device.
Certain items with distance restrictions such as mobile phones need to be at least 6 inches away from your heart device. Other items like an electronic body fat scale or a pulsed electro-magnetic field therapy products or electrical nerve stimulation should all be avoided as they can disrupt normal functioning of medical devices. You will be advised of all the necessary precautions needed.
MRI machines are safe with the latest generation devices
These devices can last from 12-15 years depending on usage. If the battery has run out, a simple procedure can be conducted to replace the battery.
If you have undergone surgery to have a device implanted, it’s important to follow certain precautions. The surgical site needs to be kept clean and dry in the days following the implantation.
In the first three months, you should not engage in any activity that could potentially stress the implantation site. This includes all swimming and exercises that involve lifting your arm above your head. After that swimming is allowed with the exception of the butterfly stroke which pinches the wires of your implanted devices.
You are unlikely to feel the electric pulses sent to your heart by a pacemaker but you may feel your heart rate increase. For implantable defibrillators, they are programmed to give both high-energy and low-energy shocks.
Low-energy shocks might feel like a flutter or a thump in your chest while high-energy shocks may be painful at the moment the pulse is sent.