Board-certified in internal medicine and cardiovascular disease, Dr. Rajan Bhatt is an accomplished healthcare executive who serves as CEO of three Arizona-based healthcare facilities Spectrum Dermatology, Spectrum Plastic Surgery, and Valley Surgery Center. Dr. Rajan Bhatt serves as a member of several professional organizations, including the American Heart Association.
The American Heart Association, the American College of Cardiology, and the Heart Rhythm Society collaborated to create joint guidelines regarding indications for permanent pacing. Pacing is a procedure that uses a specific device called a pacemaker to keep a patient's heart rhythm in the normal range. Permanent pacemaker implant indications are divided into three categories: class I, class II, and class III.
Class I rhythms are those for which a pacemaker is required and beneficial for the patient because the benefits outweigh the dangers. A full heart block, which happens when electrical signals cannot travel correctly from the heart's upper chambers to the lower chambers, is an example of a class I indication. In this case, pacemakers can help restore normal cardiac rate and rhythm.
Class II rhythms are those for which a pacemaker should be implanted. However, there is conflicting data and differing opinions. When the data support implantation and the benefits outweigh the dangers, it is classified as Class IIa. When the benefit to patients is not as well established as in class IIa, and the balance of risks and benefits is less obvious, it is classified as class IIb.
Class III rhythms are not indicated for permanent pacemaker therapy and may be deemed potentially detrimental to a patient, with the dangers outweighing the advantages. Asymptomatic sinus bradycardia, which causes an unusually slow heartbeat, is a typical example.
The American Heart Association, the American College of Cardiology, and the Heart Rhythm Society collaborated to create joint guidelines regarding indications for permanent pacing. Pacing is a procedure that uses a specific device called a pacemaker to keep a patient's heart rhythm in the normal range. Permanent pacemaker implant indications are divided into three categories: class I, class II, and class III.
Class I rhythms are those for which a pacemaker is required and beneficial for the patient because the benefits outweigh the dangers. A full heart block, which happens when electrical signals cannot travel correctly from the heart's upper chambers to the lower chambers, is an example of a class I indication. In this case, pacemakers can help restore normal cardiac rate and rhythm.
Class II rhythms are those for which a pacemaker should be implanted. However, there is conflicting data and differing opinions. When the data support implantation and the benefits outweigh the dangers, it is classified as Class IIa. When the benefit to patients is not as well established as in class IIa, and the balance of risks and benefits is less obvious, it is classified as class IIb.
Class III rhythms are not indicated for permanent pacemaker therapy and may be deemed potentially detrimental to a patient, with the dangers outweighing the advantages. Asymptomatic sinus bradycardia, which causes an unusually slow heartbeat, is a typical example.
