Which device is designed to stimulate the heart to beat normally?

• A. ICD
• B. Defibrillator
• C. Pacemaker
• D. Ventilator

Answer: (C)

The device that stimulates the heart to beat normally is the pacemaker. A pacemaker delivers electrical impulses to the heart when the natural heartbeat is too slow or the conduction system is blocked, prompting the atria and/or ventricles to contract at a regular, coordinated rate. This helps maintain an adequate cardiac output and a steady rhythm.

An implantable cardioverter-defibrillator, while it can include pacing features, is built primarily to detect dangerous fast rhythms and terminate them with a shock, not to keep a normal rhythm continuously. A defibrillator’s main job is rhythm restoration after tachyarrhythmias. A ventilator, on the other hand, supports breathing and does not manage cardiac rhythm.