Recommendations for aftercare of conventional cardiac pacemaker systems

The necessary steps for diagnostics, programming and follow-up of conventional pacemakers are summarized in this manuscript. The patient's history, status and an electrocardiogram are crucial for the identification of potential arrhythmias or malfunctions. The most important measurements during pacemaker follow-up are battery status, the electrode's impedance, sensing and threshold.The pacemaker should be programmed according to the patient, the underlying condition, and the implanted system. The pacemaker's diagnostics allow the identification of paroxysmal arrhythmias or occult malfunctions. Finally, the current recommendations about follow-up timing and pacemaker patients in the peri operative setting, before and after magnetic resonance tomography and during radiotherapy are discussed.