Microcomputer and microprocessor applications in cardiac pacing

Modern adaptive dual-chamber cardiac pacemakers offer millions of combinations of noninvasively programmable operating parameters. Some pacemakers and most pacemaker programmers are microprocessor based; these "software-organized" pacemakers can undergo substantial functional redesign by noninvasive programming even after implantation. Ancillary instrumentation used in making measurements during implant and follow-up is often microcomputer based, as is experimental instrumentation used in pacing research. As electrical control of cardiac dysrhythmias becomes more sophisticated, microcomputer applications in many aspects of pacing are proliferating in research, manufacturing, and clinical practice.