Final answer:
An artificial pacemaker delivers electrical impulses to the heart muscle, ensuring it contracts and pumps blood efficiently, which is critical in patients with chronic arrhythmias or in cases where the natural pacemaker (SA node) fails.
Step-by-step explanation:
Patients with a perfusing rhythm and chronic arrhythmias may benefit from an artificial pacemaker implantation. This device delivers electrical impulses to the cardiac muscle to ensure effective blood pumping throughout the systemic circuit. The pacemaker can be set to function either on demand or continuously and may include a built-in defibrillator to further support cardiac function. In the absence of the SA node, other parts of the conduction system, like the AV node or Purkinje fibers, would maintain a lower heart rate, which without intervention, could lead to bradycardia and inadequate systemic blood flow.