What is the Pacemaker Surgery Cost in Turkey?

With a population of over 80 million, residents in Turkey are increasingly burdened by noncommunicable diseases, which account for an estimated 86% of all deaths. Of these, 39.7% are caused by cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), leading to nearly one in five adults dying at a young age.

One of the CVDs is arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat) and to treat this, pacemaker surgery is done.

The average cost of pacemaker surgery in Turkeyranges between USD 21000 to USD 24000. This includes the cost of the pacemaker, cardiac surgeon’s fees, anaesthesia and OT charges, medical consumables used, and a hospital stay for 3-4 days.

What is Pacemaker Surgery?

A healthy adult’s resting heart rate ranges between 60 and 100 beats per minute. However, this can fluctuate based on factors such as age, physical activity, and emotional state.

If this condition is temporary, the heart rate returns to normal once the imbalance has been resolved. But if it persists for longer than usual, medical intervention is required.

These dysregulations are defined as bradycardia (slow heartbeat), tachycardia (fast heartbeat), arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat), or heart failure.

The common symptoms include extreme fatigue, dizziness, syncope, and shortness of breath. It can turn into a life-threatening situation if not treated on time.

To treat this heart condition, pacemaker surgery must be performed. In pacemaker surgery, cardiac surgeons implant a battery-operated medical device called a pacemaker in the heart.

This device sends signals to different heart chambers in complications where the sinoatrial node or SA node (the natural pacemaker of the human heart), atrioventricular node, and HIS-Purkinje system are not functioning correctly.

A pacemaker consists of two parts-

• Pulse generator: It contains the pacemaker’s battery and other electronics to generate and control electrical signals sent to the heart muscles.
• Leads: These are thin wires that help in distributing the electrical signals from the pulse generator to the heart. Some of the latest pacemaker devices don’t have these leads and are referred to as leadless pacemakers.

Pacemakers are used to treat the following heart conditions-

• Arrhythmia: Irregular heartbeat
• Tachycardia: Heart beats more than 100 beats per minute
• Bradycardia: Heart beats less than 60 times per minute
• Congestive heart failure: Heart is not efficient in pumping blood to the body, resulting in fluid building up and swelling in the lungs and legs.
• Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: The heart muscles become thicker and the left ventricle stiffens with reduced blood holding capacity.

Following a thorough examination, cardiac surgeons determine the optimal placement for the pacemaker. This can be either within one of the heart’s chambers or beneath the collarbone. The pacemaker then regulates the heart’s rhythm by sending signals to maintain a normal heart rate.