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Book

External Pacemaker

Meagan Crofoot  1 , Ayesha Sarwar  2 , Alec J. Weir  1
In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2025 Jan.
.
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Book

External Pacemaker

Meagan Crofoot et al.
Free Books & Documents

Excerpt

An external cardiac pacemaker, or a transcutaneous or artificial, is an electrodes-based medical device that regulates myocardiocyte contractility to maintain adequate heart rate and cardiac output. While pathologic bradyarrhythmias occur for a variety of reasons, clear indications exist for the use of external or transcutaneous pacing. This topic discusses those indications and other modalities that can be used alongside external pacing as potentially life-saving treatment. Technical details of external pacing and a comprehensive review of studies examining external pacing are also included in the discussion. Although this emergency treatment is life-saving, it can not be relied upon for an extended duration. A transvenous pacing or other permanent treatment should replace this temporary bridge to maintain hemodynamic balance.

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Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure: Meagan Crofoot declares no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies.

Disclosure: Ayesha Sarwar declares no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies.

Disclosure: Alec Weir declares no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies.

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