Leuven doctors implant new type of mini pacemaker suitable for almost all patients

Cardiologists at UZ Leuven have implanted a new type of mini pacemaker in a Belgian patient for the first time. The wireless device can stimulate both chambers of the heart, making it suitable for more than 80 per cent of patients.

Doctors at UZ Leuven implant about 400 pacemakers a year in patients with an excessively slow heart rhythm. The majority receive a conventional pacemaker, which is implanted under the skin with electrical wires to the heart.

About 20 per cent qualify for a first-generation wireless alternative: a mini pacemaker inserted directly into the heart. The procedure is less invasive and the complication rate is reduced by up to half.

However, first-generation wireless mini pacemakers can only stimulate one chamber of the heart, which is sufficient for arrhythmias, but not for patients who need whole-heart stimulation. They still receive a conventional pacemaker.

Communicating pacemakers

Recently, a new system has been developed that consists of two separate mini pacemakers that communicate with each other and can stimulate the ventricle and atrium simultaneously. This means more than 80 per cent of patients who need a pacemaker can use it.

The manufacturer conducted a large clinical trial in 2022 and 2023 to test its efficacy and safety in 464 people worldwide. As the European reference centre for wireless pacemakers, UZ Leuven was the only Belgian hospital to participate in the study.

Last week, the first Belgian patient outside the study received the new device and is said to be doing well.

 

#FlandersNewsService | © BELGA PHOTO LUC CLAESSEN


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