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What is a pacemaker?

A pacemaker is a device that provides small electric shocks to the heart that stimulate a heartbeat. The pacemakers that doctors implant are an artificial replacement for the heart’s natural pacemaker. The heart’s natural pacemaker may fail with age or in the setting of nearly any heart disease. This can lead to symptoms of an abnormal heart rate or rhythm, such as:

  • A sensation of the heart beating slowly
  • Sudden episodes of loss of consciousness
  • Shortness of breath
  • Chest pain
  • Dizziness and lightheadedness

If you have these symptoms, your doctor will perform an electrocardiogram (ECG) that looks at the electrical activity of your heart. If they give you one of the following diagnoses, they will likely send you to a cardiologist for a consultation and possible pacemaker placement. 

  • Bradycardia (a heart rate that is too slow)
  • Sick sinus syndrome (a heartbeat that is unpredictable)
  • Heart block (poor movement of electricity throughout the heart)
  • Chronotropic incompetence (a heart rate that does not speed up with activity)

How is a pacemaker installed?

Where is the pacemaker placed?

Is pacemaker placement painful?

Is getting a pacemaker major surgery?

What is the most common complication after permanent pacemaker placement?

What is the life expectancy of a person with a pacemaker?

* Savings estimate based on a study of more than 1 billion claims comparing self-pay (or cash pay) prices of a frequency-weighted market basket of procedures to insurer-negotiated rates for the same. Claims were collected between July 2017 and July 2019. R.Lawrence Van Horn, Arthur Laffer, Robert L.Metcalf. 2019. The Transformative Potential for Price Transparency in Healthcare: Benefits for Consumers and Providers. Health Management Policy and Innovation, Volume 4, Issue 3.

Sidecar Health offers and administers a variety of plans including ACA compliant and excepted benefit plans. Coverage and plan options may vary or may not be available in all states.

Your actual costs may be higher or lower than these cost estimates. Check with your provider and health plan details to confirm the costs that you may be charged for a service or procedure.You are responsible for costs that are not covered and for getting any pre-authorizations or referrals required by your health plan. Neither payments nor benefits are guaranteed. Provider data, including price data, provided in part by Turquoise Health.

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