The heart has its own system of making your heart contract and beat, known as the conducting system. Small electrical currents pass through the tissue of the heart. Sometimes, this system doesn’t work the way it should, meaning the top chambers of the heart (the atria) don’t communicate with the bottom chambers (the ventricles).

When this happens, the heart beats slower than usual. You may feel faint or light-headed. Sometimes, you may pass out. In rare cases, the heart may stop beating.

With a pacemaker in place, if the heart beats too slowly, the pacemaker would take over and ensure that the heart beats at a normal rate. A pacemaker can significantly improve your quality of life and, in some cases, be life-saving. We will discuss the different types of pacemakers with you and decide which is suitable for you together.

We usually perform this as a day-case procedure using sedation (medication to make you sleepy) and local anaesthetic (medication injected under the skin to numb it). We cut the skin in the upper chest (usually the left side), so we can form a pocket under the skin to fit the generator or battery of the pacemaker.

The only wound that needs to heal is the cut. There may be some bruising around it. Depending on the type of sutures (stitches) we use, these may need to be removed in 7-10 days. The hospital staff will be able to tell you if and when you need to get them removed.

Do not raise your left arm above the shoulder for six weeks after the pacemaker insertion, as it takes six weeks for the pacemaker lead to bed in and fix in place.

If you move your arm, the lead may dislodge and move. Then the pacemaker will not be able to function normally, and you may need another procedure.

You cannot drive for a short time following the pacemaker implant and will need to inform the DVLA. The length of time you cannot drive depends on the reason for implanting the pacemaker. Your cardiologist will be able to advise you further.

The pacemaker battery (or generator) will last around 7-10 years. After this time, it will need replacing. It is a very similar procedure to the original insertion. Though we only replace the battery attached to the existing leads. The leads can stay in as long as they’re working effectively. These leads usually never need replacing and last the rest of your life.