Heart Health

Ask the doctor: Can exercise damage my pacemaker's wires?

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Q.

Pacemakers and implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) have two basic working parts — the generator, which is implanted under the skin between the shoulder and chest, and one or more wires that stretch from the generator to the heart. These wires, called leads (pronounced leeds), are designed and built to flex and move freely when the arm or shoulder nearest the pacemaker or ICD moves.

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