Pacemaker

An artificial pacemaker is a device used to treat disorders of the rhythm of the heartbeat known as bradycardia (heartbeat is too slow).  In such situations, the heart may not be able to pump blood sufficiently with respect to the needs of the body, which results in a series of consequences. 

Patient: Good morning, nurse. I've come to make an appointment.  The doctor says I need a pacemaker.

Nurse: Good morning, Mr O'Neill.  No problem, take a seat for a minute, I'll just check the schedule.

 

Patient: Thank you. Could you please tell me what a pacemaker actually is? 

Nurse: Well, the doctor will explain everything to you. So, just briefly ­– a pacemaker is a small metal box with one to three electrodes. The pacemaker generates electrical impulses, which are subsequently sent to the cardiac muscle tissue through the electrodes, where they initiate the contraction of the heart.

 

Patient: Does it hurt?

Nurse: No, it doesn't.

 

Patient: And where is the box going to be placed?

Nurse: A pacemaker is usually implanted into the right or left side of your chest, just under the collarbone, and one or two electrodes lead to the heart chambers via the subclavian vein.

 

Patient: And how is the surgery performed?

Nurse: You will be laid on a special operating table, and have the upper part of the chest cleaned with an antibacterial solution. A disinfectant will be applied around the surgical wound and the rest of your body will be covered with sterile linen. There is going to be an amplifier of an x-ray image, which helps the doctor place the pacemaker electrodes in the exact position in the heart.

 

Patient: Is it going to hurt?

Nurse: No, it isn't. Virtually all implantations are performed under local anaesthesia.  After the skin and the subcutaneous tissue is cut, one or two electrodes enter the puncture of the subclavian vein to the heart and, based on an x-ray check, the ends of the electrodes are inserted in the correct place in the heart. At the end of the surgery, the electrodes are connected to the generator, which is inserted subcutaneously, and then the wound is sewn up with absorbable stitches.

 

Patient: How long does it take?

Nurse: The whole surgery takes from about half an hour to one and a half hours.

 

Patient: I see. Well, thank you very much for the information.

Nurse: You are welcome.

device	přístroj, zařízení; nástroj; prostředek
disorder	porucha, potíže; nepořádek, zmatek; nepokoje
consequence	důsledek, následek
schedule	časový plán, program, harmonogram
actually	vlastně, ve skutečnosti; dokonce
briefly	stručně, krátce, ve stručnosti
to generate	vytvářet, vyrábět, generovat,
subsequently	následně, potom, posléze
through	skrz, přes, prostřednictvím
to lay	položit; pokládat; klást
wound	rána, poranění, zranění
to cover	přikrýt; pokrýt; přiklopit; ukrýt
linen	prádlo; plátno, tkanina
virtually	prakticky
to insert	vložit, vsunout; zastrčit
to sew	šít, sešít

Lekce angličtiny pro časopis Florence připravuje překladatelská agentura ACP TRADUCTERA (www.traductera.com).

 

Ilustrační foto, zdroj: http://www.wikiskripta.eu

 

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