At the time, this was a breakthrough innovation over the traditional pacemaker, which consisted of a device placed under the skin with a wire leading to the heart. However, until now a wireless mini pacemaker could only be implanted in one specific cavity of the heart, the ventricle.
As a result, only twenty percent of patients with a slow heart rate could benefit from it. However, after years of international clinical research led by Amsterdam UMC, we have succeeded in developing a wireless mini pacemaker that can also be placed in another heart cavity, the atrium.
Pacemaker
According to cardiologist and principal investigator Reinoud Knops of Amsterdam UMC, it is now possible to develop a pacemaker that works in both the atrium and the ventricle of the heart. This was not possible until now due to the complexity of wireless communication between two mini pacemakers. After years research and testing, the team has succeeded in achieving this. In the future, heart patients who need a pacemaker can therefore benefit from this new treatment option.
The new system consists of two mini pacemakers: one for the atrium and one for the ventricle. These pacemakers communicate with each other through electrical pulses. The system has been successfully implanted in 300 patients, who have been followed for a minimum of three months. The results of the study show that the treatment is safe and that the system functions well.
The size of a vitamin pill
Pacemakers have long been used as an essential treatment for patients with heart rhythms that are too slow. Traditional pacemakers consist of a box placed under the skin, usually below the collarbone, and a wire connected to the heart through a vein. Unfortunately, these threads are fragile and can break, become detached from the heart, or become infected. This may lead to the need for additional surgery in the hospital.
To tackle these problems, Amsterdam UMC developed a mini pacemaker ten years ago without a box or wires. This mini pacemaker is the size of a vitamin pill and is implanted through the groin, after which it is placed completely in the heart. This innovative design eliminates the need for wires, thereby reducing the risk of complications.
Developments
For several years now, efforts have been made to develop wireless pacemakers. On 21 June 2016, Radboudumc in Nijmegen placed the smallest wireless pacemaker in the world on a patient for the first time. According to the Radboudumc, this pacemaker is no less than 90 percent smaller than traditional models. At the end of 2017, a wireless pacemaker was installed for the first time in the OLVG Heart Center. At the time, it was a mini pacemaker that was 90 percent smaller than a traditional pacemaker and therefore not much larger than a vitamin pill.
2023-05-25 08:30:45
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