Before long, people suffering from bradycardia will only need a very quick trip to the operating room to have a pacemaker installed into their system. This is in light of the news that the world’s smallest pacemaker was successfully implanted into a patient in the U.S.
Twenty-seven-year-old Jocelyn Baysinger is the first recipient of the Medtronic Micra Transcatheter Pacing System (TPS), a recently approved pacemaker that’s just the size of a large vitamin capsule. After fainting for a couple of times due to her heart condition, Baysinger was referred to cardiac electrophysiologist Dr. Matthew Zipse at University of Colorado Hospital.
“When I learned I had to get a pacemaker, I was really upset about it,” Baysinger was quoted as saying by 9News, “but I knew I wanted to get better. I can’t be passing out at work, or anywhere else…it’s scary.” When she was presented with the latest advancement in heart technology, Baysinger said that she found the device “cool” because it is a new technology that can help save her life and eliminate her worries over her condition.
Bradycardia is characterized by a very slow heart rate. Typically, patients with this disorder have less than 60 beats per minute. A pacemaker helps patients manage their condition by providing low-energy electrical pulses to the heart to bring the rate to the normal state. Once the heart is able to pump at a normal rate, it can provide sufficient oxygen-rich blood to the body that then prevents the effects of bradycardia, such as fatigue, dizziness, shortness of breath or fainting spells.
Medtronic’s Micra TPS is going to change the landscape of pacing technology. For one thing, it is just one-tenth the size of the traditional pacemakers. Another reason that makes this new technology stand out is the absence of lead. In fact, it is the only leadless pacemaker that’s been approved for use in the country, according to Deccan Chronicle.
Because of its size, the world’s smallest pacemaker is easy to implant. It can be delivered through a catheter, and it does not require lead wires to function. Moreover, it does not need a surgical skin pocket like traditional pacemakers because it is directly implanted into the heart. “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,” Dr. Paul Schurmann explained.
Another advantage of the advanced pacemaker compared to the traditional ones is its longevity. “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,” Dr. Schurmann said. Finally, because it is so small, doctors can just implant another one when the first one is permanently turned off, as per Business Standard.
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