How to Interpret Pacemaker Readouts

Cardiac pacemakers stimulate the heart muscle in order to attempt to normalize the heart's rhythm and the rate at which it beats. Pacemakers are often used to treat severe slowing of the heart rate or bradycardia. Permanent pacemakers consist of an implanted battery and very flexible leads, which are situated in the right atrium and ventricle. There are several diagnostic interpretations from the pacemaker readout that any doctor can use to diagnose a problem. Some of the common basic programming interpretations of a pacemaker readout can be read in these steps.

Instructions

• 1

  Learn that A means "atrium" on a readout and V means "ventricle." The letter D means a dual-lead pacemaker. However dual-leads are commonly seen as AV on pacemaker readouts.

• 2

  Recognize T as indicating "triggers firing" and the letter I means "inhibits firing." TI indicates the dual response of "triggers firing" and "inhibits firing." The letter P means "pacing" and S means "shocking." Therefore PS indicates the dual response of pacing and shocking.

• 3

  Note that DDD is a dual-lead pacemaker that senses and paces the ventricle and atrium. DDDR means a dual-lead pacemaker that not only senses and paces the ventricle and atrium but also adapts to slow and speed up according to the person's sensory responses, such as any exercising, or a person's temperature, as well as respiratory rate.

• 4

  Interpret VV as single-lead pacemaker; VVI means the single lead was inhibited by a detected ventricle beat.