| Now it's time to talk about the actual procedure your doctor has recommended for you.
|
|  | |
|
|
|
On the day of your operation, |
| |
|
you will be asked to put on a surgical gown. |
| |
|
You may receive a sedative by mouth |
| |
|
and an intravenous line may be put in. |
| |
|
You will then be transferred to the operating table. |
| |
|
To begin, skin is swabbed with an antiseptic solution |
| |
|
and a sterile drape will be placed around the operative site. |
|
|
|
Then the surgeon will make a small skin incision in the upper chest, just below the collarbone. |
| |
|
A pocket is then created between the skin and the tissue that covers the chest muscle. |
| |
|
Next, the team will use instruments called retractors to hold back the skin and underlying tissue. They'll locate a large blood vessel called the subclavian vein. |
| |
|
Using a special needle and syringe, your doctor will puncture the wall of the vein. |
| |
|
A thin guide wire is then inserted through the needle and into the vein. Your doctor gently pushes the wire until it reaches the heart. |
| |
|
Using an instrument called a fluoroscope the surgical team is able to see the wire's progress through the vein and into the beating heart. |
| |
|
Once the wire is in place, the needle is removed |
| |
|
and a catheter - or hollow tube - is passed over the guide wire and into the heart. |
| |
|
One or two leads are then passed through the catheter. |
| |
|
When the lead or leads are in their proper position, |
| |
|
the catheter is removed. |
| |
|
Finally, the lead is connected to the pacemaker, |
| |
|
the pacemaker is inserted into the pocket below the collar bone |
| |
|
and the incision is closed. |
