Pacemaker Clinic celebrates 30 year milestone
MILPARK – The clinic is the only nurse-managed clinic in a private hospital in Africa.
The Johannesburg Pacemaker Clinic, located at Netcare Milpark Hospital, celebrated 30 years of service recently.
The clinic is the only nurse-managed clinic in a private hospital in Africa. It was started in 1990 by well-known cardiologist and electrophysiologist Dr Israel Obel together with nurses from the electrophysiology laboratory Sr Daniella Frade and Sr Judy Daniels.
Sr Susarah Klopper, who manages the clinic, explained, “Internationally, pacemaker clinics are run by nursing professionals, whereas other facilities in the local private hospital sector are managed by cardiac technologists.”
According to Klopper, a pacemaker is a small device placed under the skin in a patient’s chest to help control a slow heartbeat. Internal cardiac defibrillators are used to help patients’ hearts beat more regularly in the case of an irregular heartbeat or arrhythmia.
The clinic’s services include clinical evaluation and interrogation of pacemakers and defibrillators that have been implanted in patients. They also re-programme and test devices for in-hospital patients and those going into theatre for scans such as MRIs.
“Regular follow-ups are important after a pacemaker or defibrillator is installed to ensure that the device continues to function properly and to monitor the life of the device.”
The 26-year-old Jaco Redelinghuys has found the services at the pacemaker clinic to be highly beneficial. He developed bradycardia, a very slow heart rhythm, and had a pacemaker implanted in 2017.
His pacemaker includes a built-in heart rate drop monitor which activates as soon as his resting heart rate drops below 45 beats per minute.
He explained that once at gym, he broke a pacemaker wire and had to have it fixed and replaced, which was expertly done by staff at the clinic.
General manager at Milpark Hospital Marc van Heerden said, “Sr Klopper and her team provide an important service to cardiac patients and we congratulate them on this outstanding milestone.”
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