What can I expect during a pacemaker insertion procedure?

You will be given an injection to numb the area where the device will be inserted. You will also be sedated for the procedure. Your heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing will be monitored. The doctor will make a small incision beneath your collarbone and insert the pacemaker through this incision. Wires to the heart muscle will be threaded through a vein under the collarbone to your heart. Then the incision will be closed with stitches. The entire procedure lasts about two hours. The stitches are removed in about a week.

Pacemaker insertion is a simple, brief and surprisingly uncomplicated procedure.

You will arrive at the hospital after an overnight fast. After numbing the skin over the chest with local anesthetic, a small pocket is made underneath the collar bone and the pacemaker placed in it. The pacemaker is connected to the heart by one or more wires that are introduced via a vein behind the collar bone. The procedure takes 30 to 45 minutes, and is usually done under twilight sleep.

You may be discharged the same evening or early the next day.

Here's what you can expect during a pacemaker or implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICD) procedure:

1. You'll be given a local anesthetic to block feeling to the upper chest area.
2. The doctor makes a small incision in your upper chest and separates the tissues to create a small "pocket."
3. With the visual guidance of x-rays, wires (leads) from the pacemaker or ICD are passed through a small vein in your chest. The wires are then attached in your heart.
4. The main body of the pacemaker or ICD is placed into the surgical pocket.
5. The skin is closed with skin adhesive, stitches, or staples.

The whole procedure takes about an hour. Your doctor will often do an electrophysiology (EP) study to make sure the device is working properly.