Rate-modulated pacemakers.

Rate-modulated pacing is an advancement in pacing technology that has opened the way for the development of a wide variety of pacemaker generators and pacing modes. Rate-modulated pacemakers use a physiologic sensor other than the sinus node to adjust the pacing rate according to the physiologic needs of the patient. As rate-modulated pacemakers become more widely used, nurses caring for patients with these devices need to understand pacing physiology as well as rate-modulated pacing technology to provide optimal patient care.