Commonwealth Health Offers New, Leadless Pacemaker to Patients

11/20/2017

WILKES-BARRE, PA (Nov. 17, 2017) -- Two Commonwealth Health hospitals are using the smallest available pacemaker to treat a common cardiac condition through a minimally invasive procedure.

Cardiologists at Commonwealth Health Regional Hospital of Scranton and Wilkes-Barre General Hospital are using a new leadless pacemaker that is about one-tenth the size of a conventional pacemaker. The pacemaker is comparable in size to a large vitamin and can be inserted directly into a patient’s heart, eliminating the need to place leads connecting the heart to the pacemaker.

According to the American College of Cardiology, each year, approximately 200,000 pacemakers are implanted in the United States in patients who have bradycardia, a slow or irregular heart rate. Those who have bradycardia often experience dizziness, fatigue, shortness of breath, or fainting spells during normal activity or exercise. Pacemakers work to treat this condition by sending electrical impulses to the heart to increase heart rate, when it senses the heart slowing.

Miniature leadless pacemakers have the potential to minimize many of the complications associated with traditional pacing systems. Because there are no leads inserted into the heart muscle, the complications, although rare, of corrosion and broken connections previously seen are eliminated. Another major advantage associated with a leadless pacemaker is that it can be implanted via catheter, so no surgical incision or pocket is necessary. The leadless pacemaker, unlike a traditional pacemaker, also allows patients to safely undergo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), a diagnostic tool doctors use to "see" inside the body. Currently, the leadless pacemaker is available only for patients with certain medical conditions and a slow heart rate who need single-chamber pacing only. The device has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and is available for Medicare reimbursement.

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