NEW DELHI: Doctors at Gurugram’s Paras Hospital successfully implanted the world’s smallest pacemaker, known as Micra, in the heart of an 88-year-old patient for the second time, the hospital spokesperson said on Wednesday.
This achievement marks the first time in India that the Micra pacemaker, has been implanted in the same heart for a second time, the spokesperson added.
The procedure was necessitated due to the depletion of the battery in the first Micra pacemaker which caused severe lightheadedness and loss of consciousness to the patient.
According to an official statement, the patient showed symptoms of lightheadedness and uneasiness when he came to the hospital. An ECG revealed a critically low heart rate of 30 beats per minute, prompting immediate admission to the hospital. Initial treatment involved the insertion of a temporary pacing catheter, a special wire with a balloon designed to prevent heart perforation, it said.
This was followed by the intricate task of implanting the second Micra pacemaker above the existing one, ensuring no interaction between the two devices. “We successfully implanted the second Micra pacemaker on top of the first one without stopping his blood thinners. This minimised the risk of heart perforation and ensured both pacemakers functioned independently. Special imaging ensured that both pacemakers were correctly positioned and did not interact with each other,” said Dr Amit Bhushan Sharma, Director at Paras Hospital.