We see tiny palm-sized batteries fueling the most sophisticated gadgets today. Now, imagine an even smaller device powering the human heart to beat steadily. This next-gen cardiovascular technology, a leadless pacemaker, is designed to manage irregular heart rhythms or arrhythmias. Arrhythmias occur when the heart beats too fast, too slowly, or
irregularly. If left untreated, theycan lead to serious complications for patients, even becoming life-threatening. One common type is bradycardia, where the heart beats too slowly to meet the body’s needs.
Latest-generation leadless pacemakers help manage this condition effectively and efficiently. These pacemakers are miniaturized, minimally invasive and retrievable.
A pacemaker is a medical device that helps regulate the heartbeat. Traditional pacemakers are implanted just beneath a person’s skin near the collarbone and connected to the heart with wires (called leads). These wires deliver electrical signals to help the heartbeat at a normal rate, relieving symptoms like chest pain, fatigue,palpitations, and discomfort.
“Leadless pacemakers have been developed to make both implantation and retrieval as smooth as possible for physicians, while offering meaningful improvements over existing technologies,” said Ajay Singh Chauhan, General Manager for Cardiac Rhythm Management, Abbott in India, Southeast Asia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Korea. “This is really life-changing for patients, opening up new possibilities for managing their heart rhythm issues.”
While technology has made pacemakers smaller and sleeker, it has also helped address critical limitations of traditional systems such as elimination of chest pockets and wires, where infections, wire displacement and fractures can happen. These issues can lead to serious cardiac issues and often require surgical intervention.Newer advancements help overcome these pitfalls, as cardiovascular innovations have made cutting-edge leadless pacemakers possible.
“Every year, thousands of patients require pacemaker implantations. This surgery also involves some potential complications, or visible scarring,” said Dr. Preeti Sharma, Director -Department of Cardiac Sciencesat Max Hospital, Dehradun. “Leadless pacemakers represent a meaningful advancement in cardiac care. They’re minimally invasive, cosmetically invisible, and significantly reduce post-procedure complications.”