The pacemaker may be temporary and used only for a few days after a heart attack, or it may be permanent. In permanent pacemakers the control box is a small, specially designed box powered by a lithium battery, and is usually implanted on the front of the left side of the chest. A few rare types of arrhythmia caused by an abnormal electrical conduction pathway, which is often inherited, are treated by destroying the abnormal part of the pathway using an electric current or a radiowave. A general anaesthetic is not usually needed for either inserting a pacemaker or destroying the abnormal part of a conduction pathway. The outcome of an arrhythmia depends on its type and cause.
Many arrhythmias cause few, if any, symptoms, and most can be treated successfully.