title: Cardiac rhythm control devices.
abstract: More than 110,000 men, women, and children receive permanent implanted pacemakers annually in the United States alone, and thousands more receive implantable cardioverter defibrillators; more still are treated for a brief period with temporary pacing in critical care settings. Because of the prevalence of rhythm disturbances and the growing use of devices as a means of therapy, critical care nurses may reasonably expect to care for patients receiving or already using such equipment. Knowledge of its function is a useful tool at the bedside. This article discusses basic attributes and behaviors of these devices and methods of diagnosing and dealing with the most commonly seen difficulties associated with them.
authors.forename: C L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Witherell
mesh_terms: D003422:Critical Care; D017147:Defibrillators, Implantable / Q000009:adverse effects; D004562:Electrocardiography; D004868:Equipment Failure; D006801:Humans; D010138:Pacemaker, Artificial / Q000009:adverse effects; D011182:Postoperative Care