cardiac monitoring equipment such as telemetry units should not be mistaken for a temporary pacemaker. The pacemaker may be completely external or partially implanted (transthoracic, epicardial, endocardial). Completely external temporary pacing, historically the first method used, delivers shocks to the heart through electrode plates taped to the ch st. This technique, though quickly an easily instituted, is rarely used today because of its unpredictable effectiveness and because the large amount of electrical current required to deliver impulses through the chest wall causes local pain. skeletal muscle contractions, and skin burns. The major advantage of transthoracic pacing is the rapidity with which it can be initiated. A thin wire