103-year-old woman regains health with pacemaker

103-year-old Ayşe Ağaç, who lives in the Karapınar district of Konya, applied to the Necmettin Erbakan University (NEÜ) Faculty of Medicine Hospital Emergency Department with complaints of fainting, dizziness, and fatigue.

Examinations revealed that Ağaç's pulse had dropped to 20 beats per minute. Dr. Ahmet Lütfü Sertdemir, a faculty member at the NEÜ Faculty of Medicine Department of Cardiology, performed a permanent pacemaker implantation on the elderly woman.

The patient, who was kept under observation in the hospital for two days, was discharged.

"PACEMAKERS ARE RISKY FOR PATIENTS OF ADVANCED AGE"

Dr. Sertdemir, who performed the operation, stated that a need for a pacemaker may arise for patients with very low pulses.

Explaining that they determined the elderly woman's pulse was very low during the examinations conducted after she applied to the emergency room, Sertdemir said, "We implanted a pacemaker in our patient under emergency conditions. She benefited from the treatment. She currently has no complaints. Normally, it is very rare for pacemakers to be implanted in patients of this age. In such patients, performing the procedure is considered risky due to their advanced age."

Stating that they found the patient healthy during her one-month check-up, Sertdemir said, "We determined that our patient no longer has fainting complaints and has reached a state where she can perform her daily tasks. Her general condition is quite good. The patient had been bedridden for the last 2 years. She has now reached a state where she can at least take care of her own needs."

Ayşe Ağaç, who is resting with her son in the Çumra district after the surgery, stated that she felt slight pain in her left shoulder and said, "Thank God I am well. My surgery went very well. May God be pleased with our doctor; his treatment was good for me."

Adem Ağaç said that his mother recovered after the pacemaker was implanted.