Almost 200, 000 pacemakers are implanted every year in the United States.

It was a few years ago, but Robert Lipfert vividly remembers the symptoms that told him something was wrong---he had no idea it was a low heartbeat. "I got dizzy, I couldn't talk, luckily it seemed to go away after about 5 minutes."

The symptoms may have dissipated,but Robert was smart and went to the hospital. He ended up needing a pacemaker to stabilize his heart function. Physician Carlos Cuello explains, "We make an incision and through that vein we put our two wires, one in the bottom chambers of the heart and another one in the upper chamber, so as to synchronize the upper chamber with the lower chamber."

Dr. Cuello says that fortunately, having a pacemaker implanted is not open-heart surgery. It's only a minor surgical procedure and people resume their previous lifestyle with little or no limitations. "Minimally invasive procedure. We don't even call it a surgery by the procedure because it is so simple. It takes about 45 minutes to one hour."

Dr. Cuello also says that this device is only the size of a half dollar and yet it can enable someone with a heart malfunction to live an active life. "Pain? No pain involved. We give numbing anesthia there, which they don't even feel because we give them tranquilizer. The following day, sometimes it's a little sore, but Tylenol helps."

And the batteries for an average pacemaker can last up to 10 years before they need to be replaced.

Inserting the pacemaker usually requires a one-day stay in the hospital.