pacemaker

/ˌpeɪsˈmeɪkər/

/ˈpeɪsmeɪkə/

Other forms: pacemakers

A pacemaker is a medical device that controls a person's heartbeat. A patient only has a pacemaker implanted when his own heart isn't working well on its own.

The human heart has a natural pacemaker that makes it beat at an appropriate rate to keep blood flowing throughout the body. Sometimes it doesn't work right, because of some kind of blockage or other problem that causes the heart to beat too slowly. In these cases, cardiologists — or heart doctors — will often surgically implant an electronic pacemaker as a replacement. Pacemaker research began in 1899, but it wasn't until 1958 that the first patients received these lifesaving devices.

Definitions of pacemaker

1. noun

   a horse used to set the pace in racing
   synonyms: pacer, pacesetter

   type of:

   bangtail, race horse, racehorse

   a horse bred for racing
2. noun

   a leading instance in its field
   synonyms: pacesetter

   type of:

   example, exemplar, good example, model

   something to be imitated
3. noun

   a specialized bit of heart tissue that controls the heartbeat
   synonyms: SA node, cardiac pacemaker, sinoatrial node

   type of:

   cardiac muscle, heart muscle

   the muscle tissue of the heart; adapted to continued rhythmic contraction
4. noun

   an implanted electronic device that takes over the function of the natural cardiac pacemaker
   synonyms: artificial pacemaker

   type of:

   electronic device

   a device that accomplishes its purpose electronically