title: Pacemakers.
abstract: Rapid advances in pacing technology will continue to affect the quality of life of many patients with cardiovascular disease. A truly "smart" device that seemed fanciful 30 years ago now seems to be a virtual certainty by early in the next century. The surgical contributions and expertise of individuals trained in cardiothoracic surgery in these bradypacing developments is highly desirable to minimize morbidity to the greatest possible degree, to optimize the outcome of the procedure for the individual patient, and to conserve health care costs as much as possible. To maintain this cardiothoracic presence in cardiac pacing, acquisition of knowledge and expertise in the basic electrophysiology and technology of cardiac pacing, to go along with surgical expertise, is necessary on the part of individuals with the interest and opportunity to do so.
authors.affiliation: Roper Heart Care, Roper Care Alliance, Charleston, South Carolina, USA.
authors.forename: T B
authors.initials: TB
authors.lastname: Ferguson
mesh_terms: D001145:Arrhythmias, Cardiac / Q000628:therapy; D002304:Cardiac Pacing, Artificial / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D004566:Electrodes; D004594:Electrophysiology; D006801:Humans; D010138:Pacemaker, Artificial; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic