Cardiologists at Baptist Medical Center in Jacksonville said they were the first in the state of Florida to implant the worlds’t smallest pacemaker, developed by Medtronic.
The pacemaker, according to the hospital, is one-tenth the size of a conventional pacemaker and comparable in size to a large vitamin. The Micra Transcatheter Pacing System also does not require wire to connect to the heart. It’s placed directly into the right ventricle of the heart by way of a catheter and inserted in the femoral vein.
Officials said the device weighs less than a small coin and that it’s attached to the heart with small tines, delivering electrical impulses to help the heart beat normally through an electrode at the end of the device.
Unlike traditional pacemakers, the Micra does not require a surgical incision in the chest and the creation of a “pocket” for the device. That can in turn lessen the likelihood of complications along with any visibility of the device.
Baptist Medical Center Jacksonville is one of 35 hospitals in the U.S. using the new leadless pacemaker as part of a clinical trial, which is still enrolling patients over the next six months. The other site in Florida is in Miami.
The procedure involves a small hole in the groin area as opposed to the traditional pacemaker which requires an incision under the skin on the chest and wires being inserted through the arm vein.
The cardiologists at Baptist Heart Specialists involved in the trial include Dr. Scott Lee, along with cardiac electrophysiologists Dr. Venkata Sagi and Dr. Chris Ruisi. Drs. Lee and Sagi are doing the procedures for this trial.
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“It’s a completely different way of doing this procedure and one that can have positive implications down the line for other types of heart devices we implant,” Dr. Lee said in a release. “With this pacemaker being placed directly into the heart, there is minimal risk of any kind of infection.”
