How to begin pacing a patient that is not currently attached to a temporary pacemaker – How I do it
- Obtain Temporary Pacemaker Box
- Turn on Pacemaker Box and begin pacing at desired rate
- Obtain Temporary Pacing Cables
- Expose and prepare the patient’s Temporary Pacer Wires
- Attach Temporary Pacer Wires to Cables
- Attach Cables to Pacemaker Box
- Verify patient is now being paced and that there is capture
Trouble Shooting – How I do it
- Pacemaker not capturing
- check that wires are attached to cables, and cables to box
- Reverse polarity of wires in Cable connector
- Turn up the output on the Pacemaker Box
- Replace battery
- Assess patient’s rhythm – a rhythm such as atrial fibrillation may not capture well.