How Pacemaker Is Beneficial In Managing Heart Arrhythmia?

Sudden cardiac arrest due to arrhythmias is one of the main reasons for death worldwide. Every year, almost one million deaths happen worldwide due to lesser accessibility to pacemakers. 

Do you also know that approximately 20,000 pacemaker implantation take place every year in India? These numbers are increasing at a faster rate because of the availability of quality healthcare services 

in hospitals and affordable pacemaker costs in India. 

Let’s understand the importance of pacemakers in the life of patients dealing with heart rhythm-related diseases. 

What Is a Pacemaker Used For?

A pacemaker is a battery-powered device implanted in the chest or abdomen to improve heart arrhythmia. The heart’s sinus node is the natural pacemaker that sends electrical signals to the heart to contract and make a heartbeat. 

When the sinus node stops functioning properly, the artificial pacemaker has to fill in to fulfill its responsibility.

For implanting a pacemaker, the patient is given local anesthesia. However, the patent is given sedation that helps to relax and feel sleepy. It usually takes one to two hours for the entire procedure to complete unless the patient has other heart surgery at the same time. Most patients leave the hospital the same day after the procedure completes after thorough checking is performed. 

They are even smaller than a standard matchbox and weigh around 20-50 grams. The surgeon places it under the collarbone on the left side of the chest through a vein. 

What are the Types of Pacemaker Surgery?

Depending on how severe the heart problem is, its relevant symptoms, and diagnostic evaluation, the surgeon recommends the type of pacemaker anywhere between one and three wires, also called leads, to perform the procedure. 

• Leadless Pacemaker: It is a one-piece device about the size of a large pill that the surgeon inserts using a catheter-based procedure and attaches to the heart’s inner wall without using any wires.
• Single-chamber Pacemaker: This pacemaker has one lead that connects the device to one chamber of the heart.
• Dual-chamber Pacemaker: This pacemaker requires the use of two leads to connect the device to two chambers of the heart.
• Biventricular Pacemaker: In this procedure, the surgeon connects the device using three wires, out of which two are connected to the lower chambers of the heart and a third one is connected to the upper right chamber of the heart, also called the right atrium. 

What Health Conditions Require Pacemaker Implantation?

Several heart conditions may require pacemaker implantation:

• The patient has a heart block in which there is a delay in the electrical signals through the heart, making the heartbeat too slow.
• The heart is beating at a faster rate that can’t be controlled by medications as well.
• The patient has heart failure causing the heart to pump out of sync.

Pacemaker implantation is quite beneficial in improving the quality of life and can be life-saving. 

Is Pacemaker Surgery Safe In India?

Pacemaker implantation is a minimally invasive and relatively safe procedure in which the surgeon places the device under the chest so that the heart starts beating normally.

The country offers the safest surgical procedure due to the availability of the newest technologies, skilled medical personnel, and high success rates. 

Talking about the ‘cost’ thing, the pacemaker cost in India ranges between INR 2,40,000 and INR 3,20,000. Various factors may influence the entire cost of the procedure. Let’s understand the cost and relevant factors:

• Type and severity of the heart condition
• Type of pacemaker surgery required
• Medications
• Doctor’s fees
• Hospitalization fees
• Pre- and post-operative diagnostic tests and procedures
• Follow-up visits
• Cost of food and accommodation if the patient does not reside locally

Which Hospitals in India Offer Pacemaker Surgery?

There are a number of JCI and NABH-accredited hospitals in India that provide the safest pacemaker surgery. Some of the best hospitals are enlisted below:

Fortis Escorts Heart Institute, New Delhi:

• The consumer department honored this hospital with the award ‘the best cardiology hospital in India’. 
• The institute has treated over 70,000 patients to date.
• India’s first pacemaker implantation via bundle pacing was performed at this hospital.

BLK Super Specialty Hospital, New Delhi:

• Inaugurated in 1959, the hospital is well-known for varied medical treatment, especially in total arterial grafting, coronary bypass surgery, and minimally invasive cardiac surgery.
• The cardiology team has performed more than 4,000 successful total arterial grafting procedures and 400 minimally invasive cardiac surgeries. 
• The institute has recently set up a heart awareness and prevention program that offers numerous benefits, such as health checkups and free consultations with the hospital’s heart specialist team.

Manipal Hospitals, Dwarka

• It is one of the leading cardiology hospitals in India that has a dedicated team of cardiologists and offers an extensive range of cardiac care.
• The cardiology department is well-equipped with the newest technologies to treat various cardiac ailments through cardiac interventions such as AICD implantation, biventricular pacing for congestive cardiac failure (CRT), carotid artery stenting, coronary angioplasty, and more.

Max Super Specialty Hospital, Patparganj, New Delhi:

• Established in 2005, the hospital has a capacity of nearly 150 beds.
• The hospital has some well-equipped, specialized clinics such as a pacemaker clinic, arrhythmia & electrophysiology clinic, pain clinic, headache clinic, and diabetes clinic. 

Delhi Heart & Lung Institute:

• Established in 2003, this super specialty hospital has a capacity of 100 beds.
• The center has a well-facilitated cath lab and operating rooms that are its backbone.
• Advanced cardiac techniques take place regularly, matching the pace of the latest, newest technologies. 

Apart from the ‘safest’ factor, the affordable pacemaker cost in India, well-equipped hospitals with medical advancements offering ultramodern infrastructure, skilled cardiologists, and the highest quality patient care are the reasons medical travelers prefer the country for their smooth medical journey. Lastly, the success rate of this surgical procedure is relatively high, with a low rate of complications.