Most people who need pacemakers can expect to have fewer
symptoms, be less likely to faint and in some instances live
longer than they would have without the pacemaker. Your mother
has now joined tens of thousands of people who have received
these implanted electronic marvels which now include some types
which can now stimulate more than one chamber at a time, or can
“resynchronize” the heart to make it perform better, or can
terminate dangerous arrhythmias (internal
cardioverter/defibrillator or ICD). The use of these latter
devices has virtually exploded onto the scene and into the
newspapers over the past few years with the publication of
research studies demonstrating that they may save more lives
than some medicines. When a patient receives one of these
devices, they are given a booklet, and teaching about their
individual heart conditions, and the reason that the pacemaker
was implanted (this term sounds better than “stuck in”). The
booklets don’t cover everything (though they try) as technology
is cons