Reference Challenge – Answer to Keep the Pace

I learn a lot by answering reference questions. When I first read the question, I thought “DUH, of course a pacemaker runs 100% of the time.” Guess what I found out? The answer is No.

My source was Explore Pacemaker (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health). The section “Types of Pacemaker Programming” has  the answer:

 “Types of Pacemaker Programming

The two main types of programming for pacemakers are demand pacing and rate-responsive pacing. A demand pacemaker monitors your heart rhythm. It only sends electrical pulses to your heart if your heart is beating too slow or if it misses a beat. A rate-responsive pacemaker will speed up or slow down your heart rate depending on how active you are. To do this, the rate-responsive pacemaker monitors your sinus node rate, breathing, blood temperature, and other factors to determine your activity level. Most people who need pacemakers to continually set the pace of their heartbeats have rate-responsive pacemakers.”

Other sources of information are:

• NLM’s MedlinePlus;
• American Heart Association; and
• Heart Rhythm Society

 

A consumer asked this question. If this question were from a health professional, how would you answer it?

February 3, 2012  Tags: anatomy, medical devices, pacemakers, reference challenge  Posted in: Anatomy, The Reference Challenge Column

One Response to “Reference Challenge – Answer to Keep the Pace”

1. NLMReferenceBlog says:

   February 7, 2012 at 6:14 pm

   One user, kfatkin, wrote:

   I know quite a lot about my maternal family. Very little about my paternal family. I wonder if that is typical for most Americans?

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