JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire) – Each year, 200,000 people will undergo surgery to implant a pacemaker. And although most pacemakers last 6 to 10 years, the biggest problem with traditional pacemakers is that the wires, or the wires used to send electrical impulses into the heart to vibrate, break or fail. But now, a new type of pacemaker can make the heart move without using any wires.
How did you feel six months ago? How are you feeling now? How did you feel last year? Are you able to do what you did six months ago?
The answers to these questions can reveal a lot. Sometimes it’s years, sometimes it’s not. Sometimes it is a sign that you have a heart problem.
“Patients have fatigue, fatigue, headaches, dizziness, inability to meet daily needs,” explains Baptist Health electrophysiologist, Dr. Venkata Sagi, MD.
People with a slower than normal heart rate may need a pacemaker that sends electrical impulses to get the heart beating again. Dr. Sagi is leading research using a new leadless, or wireless, pacemaker that is smaller than an AAA battery. Unlike conventional pacemakers, these new pacemakers do not require a large incision in the chest. Instead, a catheter is placed inside the heart.
Dr. Sagi also explains, “The advantage of this new technology is that there are two different pacemaker devices that are implanted; one in the basement, the other in the upper room.”
The two devices communicate wirelessly to restore the heartbeat.
Dr. Sagi adds: “They will experience a big change in their life immediately.
Another advantage of this system is that it is reversible. With existing FDA-approved devices, when they fail or need to be replaced, the pacemaker is usually left in place and another implanted next to it. With a leadless pacemaker, with a slightly smaller catheter, the doctor can remove it and replace it with another. The final phase of the global clinical trial is currently underway. By the end of 2023, researchers hope to receive final approval from the FDA.
Contributors to this report are Marsha Lewis, Producer; Roque Correa, Videographer & Editor.
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