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Pacemakers, other devices 
can cut risk of 
cardiac arrest

MANAMA — Patients with significant cardiac arrhythmias could benefit through the use of devices such as pacemakers, Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillators (ICDs) and Cardiac Resynchronisation Therapy (CRT) devices.

The devices are implanted just below the shoulder and the wires are threaded through the heart.

Any irregularity in the normal cardiac rhythm is automatically detected and corrected by the device sending a corrective electrical impulse to the heart. The technology was introduced in Bahrain in 2009.

This was highlighted at a seminar on Cardiac Electrophysiology Solutions and Care which was held on July 14.

Patients with implants resume their normal routine within six weeks although certain “common sense” precautions are advised, such as avoiding contact sports and always carrying a card with information about the medical condition and contact information of family and friends. Since airport scanners may disturb the electrical cycle of the devices, patients with these implants are usually allowed to bypass electrical scanners and opt for manual security checks.

Cardiac Electrophysiologist, Dr Adel Khalifa Sultan Hamad, told the seminar that cardiologists in Bahrain and the GCC need to urgently come together to compile data about cardiac problems in the region so that they can detect trends and provide the most effective solutions.

shamada@khaleejtimes.com