Patient certainly one of first to be fitted with new pacemaker the scale of a pen lid | EUROtoday

A 76-year-old man has develop into one of many first folks within the nation to be fitted with a brand new pacemaker 10 occasions smaller than a normal gadget and with a battery that may final for as much as 20 years.

Heart specialists at University Hospital Southampton (UHS) took simply half-hour to suit the Aveir VR leadless pacemaker to retired contract supervisor Graham Motteram.

The gadget, which is the scale of a pen lid, is implanted instantly into the guts’s proper ventricle and delivers electrical pulses to appropriate sluggish or irregular coronary heart rhythm.

More than 1.5 million folks within the UK have been recognized with a coronary heart rhythm situation which places them at elevated threat of a stroke, in keeping with knowledge printed by the British Heart Foundation earlier this yr.

Mr Motteram, from Romsey, Hampshire, was chosen for the implant after a routine check-up for diabetes highlighted that he had hypertension, and he was despatched to the emergency division (ED) at UHS following an ECG.

The pensioner was recognized as being appropriate for the brand new gadget, which was fitted by advisor heart specialist Professor Paul Roberts and his crew at UHS.

Mr Motteram stated: “I feel very lucky to be the first patient in Southampton to be fitted with this new device, and I’m so grateful to Professor Roberts and the team – they have surely saved my life and looked after me so well before and after the procedure.

“I hope many more patients can benefit from this in the future.”

Prof Roberts stated: “The Aveir ventricular leadless pacemaker represents a significant advancement in patient care with leadless pacemaker technology.

“The battery life of this device has the potential to last for more than 20 years in some patients.

“Furthermore, it is anticipated in the near future we will be able to implant a second device in the top chamber of the heart (atrium) in selected patients, which means that a larger group of patients may benefit from this technology.”

A UHS spokeswoman stated: “The device, named the Aveir VR leadless pacemaker, is 10 times smaller than standard devices at 38mm and is used to correct slow heart rhythm, known as bradycardia.

“It is implanted directly into the heart’s right ventricle – a chamber in the heart that pumps blood low in oxygen to the lungs – via a catheter placed in the inferior vena cava (IVC), the body’s largest vein, located in the abdomen.

“Once it reaches the right ventricle, the device uses innovative technology to map the interior wall of the heart to assess correct positioning before being fixed in place. This helps to reduce the number of repositioning attempts which can damage the heart tissue.

“It is then anchored into place by turning the device’s unique spiral tip which also houses a small electrode for sensing and pacing stimulation.

“With each heartbeat, the device receives a message indicating whether the device sensed or paced and, if needed, delivers electrical pulses to correct the slow or irregular heart rhythm.”