London: Nearly two lakh people affected by heart failure will soon be fitted with a new type of pacemaker that will help improve their quality of life.
Patients who had fatigued and swollen sinuses due to heart failure performed daily activities such as walking without tiring during the implant trial.
One man in a trial run by the British Heart Foundation said he felt like Iron Man after being fitted with the new pacemaker.
Invented in the 1950s, this device controls irregular heartbeats using electrical signals.
Heart failure is a condition in which the heart loses its ability to pump blood effectively due to muscle stiffness or weakness. Although this condition can affect people of any age, it is more common in the elderly. It is normal.
Causes of heart failure include heart attack, high blood pressure, viral infections and genetic problems. In this condition, other symptoms may suddenly worsen, including fatigue and shortness of breath.
The condition is managed with lifestyle changes, medication, and often a pacemaker. This electrical device, about the size of a matchbox, consists of a pulse generator and one or more wires, which are connected to the heart and keep the heart beating.
Two or three wires of this new pacemaker are connected directly to specialized cells in the heart that transmit electrical signals between the top and bottom of the heart.
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