00
their losses to zero, she says.
Although the program costs
about $30 for each participating
server, Mr. Waxer says there can
be financial rewards for estab-
lishments considering TIPS:
Some insurance companies will
give a rate break to participating
businesses.
Reaching as large a population
as possible with the TIPS mes-
sage provides a personal reward,
too.
"Knowing that I have very like-
ly saved at least one life with this
program," he says, "makes me feel
it's worth it."
MARSHALL FRANKLIN SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS
-_..
-,=
/
N,
ht
The
❑
A Pacemaker
Can Save Your Life
I
lica1th fair
he heart has its own elec- when his heartbeat returned. He
trical system. One part of was not aware of the episode
the system is a cluster of when questioned afterward.
We hospitalized Jack immedi-
special cells called the sinus
node. This is the heart's natural ately.
Jack had not been taking drugs
pacemaker.
A chemical reaction within that might cause CHB. He had
these cells generates a recurring not had a heart attack, nor did he
electrical signal that is transmit- appear to have some other struc-
ted over fleshy wires called the tural heart disease known to
Purkinje System. These signals cause CHB. He had a condition
stimulate heart muscles to con- most probably due to the deterio-
tract in the proper sequence for ration of the heart's electrical sys-
blood propulsion. tern with age.
Jack needed a reliable stimu-
The sinus node responds to
messages the body sends it. That later to make the heart beat fast
is why the heart beats more slow- enough to keep a good blood sup-
ly when we are calm or sleeping ply pumping to his brain and oth-
and faster when we exercise, be- er vital organs. That is what an
come excited or have a fever. The artificial pacemaker does.
An artificial pacemaker has two
heart stops if something corn-
pletely blocks the sinus node's sig- components — the battery pack
nal from the Purkinje System. and the lead. The battery pack
This is called complete heart block acts like the sinus node and the
Sometimes a secondary pace- lead like the Purkinje System. The
maker, other than the sinus node, battery pack's circuitry delivers
will take control of the heartbeat repetitive small electric shocks
when CHB occurs. In this case the that are transmitted to the heart
pace is much slower — usually muscle via a thin insulated wire
fewer than 50 beats per minute called the lead.
The frequency of the shocks can
and sometimes in the low to mid-
30s. This is too slow to maintain be changed electronically or by
vital body functions adequately. sensing circuits in the battery
An example: Jack Wilson is an pack programmed to respond to
active 78-year-old man who re- various signals from the body.
cently fainted. He had been feel- A permanent pacemaker is fin-
ing well prior to that time, but his planted in the operating room.
family felt he was no longer as The patient is sedated but not
sharp mentally. On occasion he placed under general anesthesia.
would seem to fall asleep in the The surgeon injects local anes-
middle of a conversation. thetic into the skin of the left up-
One day Jack woke up on the per chest, just inside the left
floor and didn't know how he got shoulder.
Through a small incision the
there. A few days later, while
walking with a friend, he fainted, physician finds a vein and inserts
the lead into it. The lead is thread-
fell and bruised his forehead.
In the doctor's office an electro- ed through the vein, into the chest,
cardiogram indicated complete and put in contact with the wall
heart block. Although the ECG of the heart by means of the flu-
showed the sinus node was firing oroscope.
A sequence of tests makes cer-
at 85 beats per minute, the heart
was only beating at 36. In addi- taro there is secure lead contact
tion, from time to time the heart- with the heart wall and good elec-
beat would pause for a few trical capture of the heartbeat.
seconds. The doctor then connects the lead
On one occasion the ECG and battery pack. The whole sys-
showed a six-second pause. At the tern is retested to make certain it
same time Jack's eyes began to is working properly Finally, the
roll. He looked as if he were about lead and battery pack are packed
to faint. He promptly awakened under the skin and the incision is
closed.
Jack later got a special trans-
Dr. Marshall Franklin is a San
mission unit that can check his
Diego-based cardiologist who
pacemaker from any telephone. ❑
writes for Copley News Service.
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Tuesday, May 21st
From 1:00-3:00 PM
FREE Screenings for:
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And much mor e
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JAMCE
CHARACH
EPSTEIN
U S E U
3 ALLEPY
Erich Hartmann recalls
"..in photographs scenes
from an era that remain
vivid to those who endured
it and survived, remember-
ing the innocent victims of
a rage of hatred and killing
without parallel in history."
Exhibit In
Cooperation with
Goethe Institut Ann Arbor
.3u4/14t; 9Pekome • ghee
oidn-thidon
JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER OF METROPOLITAN DETROIT
6800 WEST MAPLE ROAD, WEST BLOOMFIELD, MICHIGAN 48322
(810) 661-7641