The Calgary Foothills Medical Centre has just implanted the world’s smallest pacemaker into eight patients, as part of a ground-breaking international trial of the device.
Pacemakers are implanted to treat abnormal heartbeats when the issue hasn’t responded to medication.
Traditionally the pacemaker is implanted under the skin with wire leads sending a tiny, regular electronic signal to stimulate the heart muscle.
The wires are attached to the inside lining of the heart through a thin catheter, or in other cases directly to the surface of the heart.
The traditional method however sometimes leads to infections, and also the wires may break.
Like all pacemakers, this unit also delivers tiny electric pulses, but as it’s inside the heart there are no wires or other components to break, and movement of the shoulder is not restricted after surgery, which is often the case with the traditional pacemaker
The battery-power of the new technology is expected to last ten years, however this new unit does cost more than traditional pacemakers.
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