Cardiac pacing is a modality used to speed up the heart rate in cases of bradyarrhythmia (abnormally slow heart rate). This field of cardiology usually involves the insertion of a pacemaker device implanted subcutaneously and carefully secured to provide for many years of rate and rhythm support.
Patients with heart failure may be eligible for a more complex pacemaker system called a biventricular pacemaker for cardiac resynchronisation. In the presence of certain criteria, this device is inserted and may include an integrated defibrillator to provide lifesaving shocks in cases of a malignant tachyarrhythmia (ventricular fibrillation or tachycardia). The details are beyond the scope of this explanatory note, but may be more extensively discussed, if required.
For more complex electrophysiological intervention, the cardiologists at Cape Heart are connected to reputable Electrophysiological Specialists who use electrophysiology (EP) to assist with ablations and more complex pacing scenarios.