Doctors at Paras Hospital in Haryana’s Gurugram have successfully implanted the world’s smallest pacemaker, the Micra, into the heart of an 88-year-old patient for the second time. This marks the first instance in India where the Micra pacemaker has been implanted in the same patient for a second time, according to a hospital spokesperson.
The procedure was needed after the first Micra pacemaker’s battery depleted, causing severe symptoms like lightheadedness and loss of consciousness in the patient. Upon arrival at the hospital, the patient exhibited these symptoms, and an ECG revealed a dangerously low heart rate of 30 beats per minute, prompting immediate hospitalization.
Initial treatment involved the insertion of a temporary pacing catheter to stabilize the patient’s heart. This was followed by the complex task of implanting a second Micra pacemaker on top of the first, ensuring that the two devices would not interfere with each other. Dr. Amit Bhushan Sharma, Director and Unit Head of Cardiology at the hospital described the procedure as a pioneering approach, noting that this was the first time such a procedure had been done in India. The Micra pacemaker, about the size of a vitamin capsule, is a leadless device.
“We used a basic catheter with a balloon to avoid heart perforation. The second pacemaker was placed above the first one to reduce the risk of complications. Special imaging ensured that both pacemakers were correctly positioned and did not interact with each other,” Dr Sharma added.
