Tiny pacemakers obviate major surgery
DEC 13, 2013
DOI: 10.1063/PT.5.027579
MIT Technology Review : New miniature pacemakers can be implanted without surgery. The smallest, manufactured by Medtronic, is just 24 mm long; St. Jude Medical’s version is 41 mm long. Either device can be inserted via an incision in the patient’s thigh. Catheters are then used to push it through a large vein and into the heart. The devices are wireless, and their batteries will last 8–10 years. Because the devices require less invasive surgical procedures, they can be used in elderly and high-risk patients. Both pacemakers are being tested in human trials, and St. Jude’s has already been approved for use in Europe.
© 2013 American Institute of Physics
