Our Services
Pacemaker/Defibrillator Services
What is a Pacemaker?
A pacemaker is a small device that is implanted in the upper chest to help control slow heart rates (bradycardia), fast heart rates (tachycardia), and abnormal heart rhythms. This device uses painless electrical pulses to prompt the heart to beat at a normal rate.
What is a Defibrillator?
An ICD is a small device that is implanted in the chest to control fast heart rates. It uses electrical pulses or shocks to help control life-threatening, irregular heartbeats, especially those that could cause sudden cardiac arrest. All ICDs have a built in pacemaker.
For Your Convenience
Columbia Cardiology offers full-service follow-up Device Clinics at both our Downtown, Laurel Street location and our West Columbia office. We follow our patients with a state-of-the-art computerized database and Device programmers from all major Pacemaker and Defibrillator Manufacturers. We offer “remote follow up” with many of the device companies. This allows Columbia Cardiology to provide ongoing care for your device from home, which may reduce the number of actual visits to our office.
The Device Clinic provides trans-telephonic (Telephone Check) monitoring for Pacemakers in addition to remote follow up for certain Pacemakers and Defibrillators. We offer onsite pacemaker and/or defibrillator analysis for patients with implanted cardiac devices. We assess appropriate function, test generator and lead integrity, extract diagnostic information, assess battery status, and determine elective replacement time at each office follow up. Any programming changes that may be necessary will be done at the time of your office visit. We have a doctor on-call 24 hours a day to handle any problems that you may encounter. Columbia Cardiology also participates in many Pacemaker and Defibrillator research studies with all the major Device Manufacturers.
Device Manufacturers We Work With
Biotronik
www.biotronik.com
Boston Scientific (formerly Guidant)
www.bostonescientific.com
Medtronic
www.medtronic.com
St. Jude Medical
www.sjm.com
Sorin (formerly ELA)
www.sorin-crm.com