Tiny pacemakers

Three years ago, an 81-year-old man became the first patient in Florida to receive the world’s smallest pacemaker — a device that’s as small as a vitamin, lighter than a coin and requires no wires to connect to the heart.

The implant surgery was performed at Baptist Medical Center in Jacksonville, one of 36 hospitals around the country using the new wireless pacemaker as part of a clinical trial.

The pacemaker — developed by medical device manufacturer Medtronic and called the “Micra Transcatheter Pacing System” — is placed into the right ventricle of the heart via a catheter that’s inserted into the body through the groin area. Instead of wires — usually referred to as “leads” — it attaches to the heart via small tines and delivers electrical impulses through an electrode.

Significantly, the implant procedure doesn’t require a surgeon to make an incision into the patient’s chest — reducing the risk of complications such as infection.

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Tags: Healthcare, Cardiac Care