What is a Pacemaker?: A Cardiologist's Guide for Patients and Care Providers

The fastest growing population segment in the United States, seniors commonly undergo pacemaker implantation. Although doctors’ offices typically provide short pamphlets on pacemaker implantation, there is rarely any comprehensive yet understandable reference material for the patients to obtain…until now. Explaining the “what, why, and how” of pacemaker implantation, this invaluable new guide provides an in-depth summary of pacemakers, from the initial patient evaluation and device implantation to the issues that could potentially arise during a long-term follow up. Expertly designed to educate patients under evaluation for a pacemaker, the guide also features a comprehensive section on complications that is extremely valuable for a primary care provider’s knowledge base. By thoroughly summarizing the most important issues that patients and their families encounter during the pacemaker implantation process, this wonderful book is an invaluable priceless educational guide designed specifically with the most important audience in mind…the patients. What is a Pacemaker? A Cardiologist’s Guide for Patients and Care Providers is a complete reference tool for patients who are undergoing, or have undergone, pacemaker implantation. From doctor selection to long-term care issues, this informative guide by Dr. Jeffrey L. Williams covers everything from A to Z. Easy to read, wonderfully exceptionally organized, and extraordinarily helpful, this priceless resource should be read by pacemaker patients everywhere. The first book of its kind dedicated exclusively to pacemaker patients and their care providers, What is a Pacemaker? provides the same references and knowledge that cardiologists use but at a level more easily digestible for patients, their families, and their primary care providers. Packed from cover to cover with valuable information, this practical guide presents the perfect reference material for anyone whose life has been touched by pacemakers. Williams is board-certified in internal medicine, cardiovascular disease, and clinical cardiac electrophysiology, and is currently medical director of electrophysiology at The Good Samaritan Hospital. He double majored in biomedical and electrical engineering at Vanderbilt University and then went on to obtain his master’s degree in bioengineering from the University of Pittsburgh, where he was awarded a Keck Fellowship for graduate school. Earning his medical degree from Drexel University in Philadelphia, he then went on to complete five years of fellowship training in both cardiovascular diseases and clinical cardiac electrophysiology at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Possessing extensive knowledge and a unique background in both engineering and cardiology, Williams has earned numerous accolades within the academic and clinical settings, including awards from both the American College of Cardiology Foundation and the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Williams directs the only community-hospital based Heart Rhythm Center in the U.S. to publish outcomes for pacemaker and defibrillator implantations. “Numerous books have been published about pacemakers since they were introduced in the 1950’s but they’ve all been addressed to the same audience: health care professionals. This book by Williams, which is directed to patients and their families, answers in a clear and concise way all questions surrounding pacemaker implantations: the before, the during, and the after. A must read for anyone who’s been prescribed pacemaker therapy…” - Samir Saba, MD, FACC, FHRS, Director, Cardiac Electrophysiology, Associate Professor of Medicine, Associate Professor in Clinical and Translational Science, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.