• Battery. The pacemaker battery supplies the power for the
pacemaker. The battery is a small, sealed, lithium battery.
• Circuitry. The circuitry is a miniature computer inside the pacemaker.
The energy from the battery is transformed into tiny electrical pulses.
It is the tiny electrical impulses that stimulate the heart to beat. The
circuitry controls the timing and intensity of the electrical impulses
delivered to the heart.
Leads
Battery
Case
Circuitry
Connector block
Chapter 2 17
• Case. The battery and circuitry are sealed inside a metal case
(sometimes called a “can”).
• Connector block. The plastic connector, located on top of the
pacemaker’s metal case, provides the point of connection between the
pacemaker and the leads.
To monitor and adjust the settings of your pacemaker, your doctor uses a
Medtronic CareLink Programmer (further described in “Medtronic
CareLink Programmer” on page 86).
What is a pacing lead?
A pacing lead is an insulated wire that connects to a pacemaker. A
pacing lead carries the electrical impulse from the pacemaker to the
heart. A pacing lead also relays information about the heart’s natural
activity back to the pacemaker.