KOCHI: Amrita Hospital and Research Centre achieved another landmark when it became the first hospital in Kochi and Central Kerala to implant world’s smallest leadless pacemaker in the heart of an octogenarian patient. The leadless pacemaker is a miniaturised heart device with the most advanced pacing technology.
The surgery was performed by Dr Hisham Ahamed, Dr Rajesh T, (head of Cardiology Department), Dr Rajiv C and Dr K U Natarajan. The pacemaker was implanted in the patient suffering from bradycardia. It is a condition which is characterised by a slow or irregular heart rhythm mostly less than 60 beats per minute. At such low rate, the heart fails to pump oxygen-rich blood to the body. Pacemakers are the most common way to treat bradycardia. They help to restore heart’s normal rhythm and relieve symptoms by sending electrical impulses.
“The patient on whom the implantation was performed had chronic atrial fibrillation and slow heart rate response. We had recommended the patient to undergo a pacemaker implantation. During an examination, we found that the clinical characteristics of the patient will make him an ideal recipient for a leadless pacemaker. The device is small enough to be delivered through a catheter and implanted directly into the heart with small tines, providing a safe alternative to conventional pacemakers without complications associated with leads. It is also designed to automatically adjust pacing therapy based on patients activity levels,” said Dr Hashim Ahamed.
The leadless pacemaker was selected for implantation since the device doesn’t require cardiac wires or a surgical pocket under the skin to deliver a pacing therapy.“It has a retrieval feature. But the device has been designed to be left in the body. For patients who need more than one heart device, the leadless pacemaker has a unique feature that enables it to permanently turn off and remain in the body. This makes it easy to implant a new device without risking electrical interaction. It is the first and only transcatheter pacing system approved by 1.5 and 3 Tesla full-body magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans,” a press release stated.The doctors said the leadless pacemaker is expensive but the price will come down once it is produced in indigenously.