How does a pacemaker work

Abstract. Atrial flutter (AF) is a troublesome arrhythmia for patients with an implanted pacemaker. Although it has recently become possible to eliminate AF by radiofrequency catheter ablation (RF-CA), the incidence of AF before and after pacemaker implantation has not been clarified .

An irregular heartbeat that you don’t even feel but can be picked up by a pacemaker is associated with a significantly increased risk of stroke , says a new McMaster University study.

Long-term survival was significantly influenced by the type of arrhythmia leading to pacemaker implantation: Overall median survival was the longest in patients implanted for sick-sinus syndrome (SSS) with 132.9 months; patients with AV-block (3rd degree or 2nd degree type Mobitz) had a median survival of 94.3 months …