Surgically implanted cardiac devices play an important role in the treatment of heart disease. Approximately 400,000 devices are implanted in patients each year in the United States, with more than three million patients implanted with these devices currently.
Even though pacemakers and implantable defibrillators are very reliable, it is still important for patients to have their devices checked periodically by qualified technicians or monitored at home via telephone transmission.
Summa Health offers a Cardiac Device Clinic that monitors all patients who have an implantable device. Your cardiologist can learn valuable information about how your heart and the device are working – and can make adjustments if necessary.
During your visit, information will be gathered electronically from your device by a technician. The data will be evaluated by an electrophysiologist. Depending on the findings and any symptoms you report experiencing, your electrophysiologist may make some adjustments to the way the device functions.
Both the data gathering and adjustments are painless and usually can be completed on an outpatient basis.
If you have an implantable cardiac device, talk to your doctor about plans for your follow-up care. Ask for a referral to the Summa Health Heart Device Clinic.
To learn more about pacemakers or other implantable devices available as part of Summa Health's cardiac care, call for an appointment today.
