World's smallest cardiac pacemaker implanted without surgery
Medtronic - a leader in medical devices has announced that they've successfully implanted world's smallest cardiac pacemaker without surgery in a patient from Austria. The pacemaker ensures that the heart beats normally. Medtronic's Micra Transcatheter Pacing System (TPS) is 24mm long and 0.75 cubic centimeters in volume, which makes it about 10x smaller than the conventional pacemakers. The biggest advantage of this pacemaker is that it eliminates the need of surgery and can be transferred to the desired location through a large vein accessible from thigh.
These pacemakers are an engineering marvel. The makers of the pacemaker say that the batteries in the device will last for about 8 to 10 years when running at full stimulating capacity. These are also the lead-less pacemakers, that do not require long electrodes winding down the path. The pacemaker sits at its position and delivers electric pulses through tiny prongs that touch the heart. The design is such that it reduces the power requirements and also eliminate the major source of device failure.
Micra executives say that the technology they've invented is disruptive. It's going to be extremely useful to the elderly patients by making the whole procedure of installing the pacemaker less traumatic. For details about the pacemaker, hit the source link below.
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