The two conditions most common to pacemaker candidates are bradycardia and heart block. A slowed heartbeat is known as bradycardia. A heart block is a disruption of the electrical signal of your heart. Some nerve or muscle damage may cause either, as will a previous heart attack. But the most common cause is aging.

TESTING BEFORE INSERTION

Your doctor may recommend some diagnostic tests before committing to inserting a pacemaker. An EKG, the abbreviation for electrocardiogram test, is designed to detect the heart’s electrical activity. Once you are hooked up to monitors, the painless test will show the speed of your heartbeat, plus the strength and timing of electrical signals.

You can do the test in your doctor’s office, or you may have to wear a portable EKG to test the strength in the course of daily activity. These devices are known as Holter and event monitors.

A Holter monitor will record electrical activity in the heart from 24 to 48 hours, keeping a record of your cardiovascular activity while you go about your day. It’s usually recommended for busy individuals because a heart arrhythmia may not show up during a brief office test.

The event monitor will also be worn during daily activities but will only record sporadic activity while wearing it. Many event monitors are activated by the patient, who pushes a button to turn it on when they feel heart rhythms start to go out of synch.

An echocardiograph is a sound wave that creates a picture of your heart. The sound waves create a moving image that can tell your doctor how well the heart, its valves and chambers are working. It also can pinpoint areas where the blood flow is weak and areas that aren’t contracting as they should. It also allows previous injuries to the muscle to be examined.