Is pacemaker a good option

[ajod]

My father who is in his late 50s never had heart condition before. Although he was told by his physician one time about 6 years ago that he had a silent heart attack. Recently, he had some chest pain for few days and when he finally went in, found out that out of 3 arteries, one was supposedly 100% blocked and has been blocked for over 6 months but not really sure when. One was 100% healthy and one was 90-95% blocked. The one that that was 90%+ blocked, they put a stint in. He was doing just fine but last night while still an outpatient, he passed out when he got up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom. Docs said that his heart stopped for 6 seconds..not sure why. Last night his BP was low and they had to give him some medication to bring heart back up. His heart rate is now normal and has been for almost 12 hours after he was taken off the med. However, his RESP rate has been consistently between 20-30. By talking to cardiologists here at the hospital, they are thinking that they may need to put a pacemaker in. Is that the right thing to do? Please help. Again, he has never had any heart issues before and now they are saying that they need to a put a pacemaker in to help control his heartbeat. I am not in medical field and that sounds crazy to me. Please that is why i am seeking help. Thanks for your time.

[Flycaster305]

I'm sure your father prescribed heart medications, and many of these medications lower the blood pressure.  As Lucy suggested, he should talk to his doctor about the cause.  Perhaps he is receiving too large a dose.
I had the same symptoms that your father had.  My medications are absolutely necessary and I had another rhythm problem with my heart, and the Pacemaker was a Godsend.  

[Lucy11081]

The pacemaker paces the heart so if his heart is beating too slow the pacemaker will speed it up. It will be programed to regulate the heart and can be very helpful. I would recommend you talk to the cardiologist and ask why they feel this option is needed and what other options are available. Good luck.