Modern marvel: Doctors at Thủ Đức District Hospital implant a double-chamber pacemaker in a woman whose heart rate was abnormally low. Photo courtesy of Thủ Đức District Hospital |
HCM CITY — Thủ Đức District Hospital on Thursday implanted a double-chamber pacemaker in the body of a 51-year-woman who had an abnormally slow heart rate.
The patient, from the northern mountainous province of Bắc Kạn, was brought to the hospital on Tuesday with symptoms of dizziness and fatigue. The woman said she could not do any daily activity.
Results of a 24-hour electrocardiogram (ECG) showed that she had a slow heart rate of 40 beats per minute compared to the normal rate of 60 or more per minute. In this situation, cardiac arrest can sometimes occur within six seconds.
The doctor said that her slow heart rate was caused by a sinus node dysfunction.
After counselling from the doctor, the patient agreed to surgery which lasted 90 minutes. She is expected to be discharged within several days.
Compared to single-chamber pacemakers, the double-chamber pacemaker helps hearts beat more regularly. They are used in patients with an abnormally slow heart rate, according to the hospital’s doctor. —VNS