Worlds smallest pacemaker implanted in US patient
Posted on: 09/Feb/2017 10:32:05 AM
Scientists from the Houston Methodist Hospital in the US have successfully implanted the world`s smallest pacemaker, which is about as big as a large vitamin capsule and provides the most advanced pacing technology. The Micra Transcatheter Pacing System (TPS), recently approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), is a new type of heart device that provides patients with the most advanced pacing technology at one-tenth the size of a traditional pacemaker and is the only leadless pacemaker approved for use in the US.
Say the researchers, This is not a complicated procedure and the first patient that we implanted is doing extremely well. I believe this gives us another tool to help save lives of patients with slow or irregular heart rhythms. The device is the size of a large vitamin, and unlike traditional pacemakers, it does not require cardiac wires (leads) or a surgical pocket under the skin to deliver a pacing therapy. When a lower heart rate is present, the heart is unable to pump enough oxygen-rich blood to the body during normal activity or exercise, causing dizziness, fatigue, shortness of breath or fainting spells. The device is small enough to be delivered through a catheter and implanted directly into the heart, providing a safe alternative to conventional pacemakers without the complications associated with leads. The device also allows us to automatically adjust pacing therapy based on a patient`s activity levels and another positive is the battery can last up to 10 years.
