New Pacemaker Devices from a Technical Point of View

New pacemaker devices commercially available today have evolved from a simple functional device having limited life to a sophisticated system designed to operate for an extended period, hopefully the life of the pacemaker patient. The basic pacemaker function, demand pacing, remains the preferred choice for pacing but the technology used to generate this demand function has drastically changed. There are three major technical improvements in pulse generator design which help to extend pacemaker longevity and improve system performance. They are: (1) development of the lithium power source; (2) housing the electronics and power source in a hermetic package; and (3) utilization of thickfilm hybrid circuitry.