A 72-year-old woman, who required a pacemaker for correcting irregular heartbeat, or arrhythmia, was fixed with a leadless pacemaker through a keyhole surgery at KIMSHEALTH, a press release issued by the hospital here said.
Leadless pacemakers are much smaller than the conventional transvenous pacemakers and do not require deep-chest incision for it to be placed in the heart. It also does away with possible complications such as lead dislodgement in the case of the conventional pacemakers.
The leadless pacemaker option was chosen for the patient considering her advanced age and state of health.
The conventional pacemaker is the size of a matchbox, which requires a deep incision beneath the rib cage for it to be placed. It also has cables called leads that are fixed to the right ventricle The leadless pacemaker is implanted in the heart through the femoral vein using a catheter. The capsule-sized device has clips which helps it stick to the heart walls. The device then operates through a remote-control.
The patient was discharged after 24 hours of observation. She would require just two days’ rest, after which she can resume her normal routine, doctors said.
