Boca Raton Regional Hospital Offers The World's Smallest Pacemaker

BOCA RATON, Fla., May 8, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Boca Raton Regional Hospital today announced that it is the first hospital in Palm Beach County to offer the world's smallest pacemaker for patients with bradycardia. The Medtronic Micra^® Transcatheter Pacing System (TPS) is a new type of heart device that provides patients with the most advanced pacing technology at one-tenth the size of a traditional pacemaker. The first procedure at Boca Regional was performed in late April by Martin Kloosterman, MD, an electrophysiologist and Director of the Lynn Heart & Vascular Institute.

In addition to its size, which is comparable to a large vitamin capsule and weighs the same as a penny, Micra TPS provides a host of benefits for patients.

The pacemaker is introduced through a catheter in the femoral vein and attached directly to the heart via small tines. Once seated in place, it delivers electrical impulses as needed, pacing the heart through an electrode at the end of the device.

In this fashion, Micra TPS preserves unobstructed blood vessels flow and does away with the need for wires or "leads" that are used in conventional pacemakers to deliver the pacing therapy, which can be a source of complications.

Micra TPS is a minimally invasive catheter procedure that also eliminates the requirement for a surgical incision to create a "pocket" under the skin where a conventional pacemaker would be placed. This, in turn, takes away yet another site for potential difficulties such as infection and movement limitations while providing comfort and cosmetic advantages for the patient.

The System's pacemaker is approved for full-body MRI scans. It can be implanted in a wide range of selected patients, including frail, elderly individuals. It requires minimal recovery with no activity restriction after just a few hours of implantation.

"The Micra TPS is a revolutionary new generation of pacemakers and a major advancement in the treatment of bradycardia," said Dr. Kloosterman. "Having it at Boca Regional enhances our reputation and commitment to offering the latest and most sophisticated spectrum of care for patients with rhythm disorders."   

Bradycardia is a condition characterized by a slow or irregular heart rhythm, usually less than 60 beats a minute (normal is 60-100). At this rate the heart is unable to pump enough oxygen-rich blood to the body during normal activity or exercise, causing dizziness, fatigue, shortness of breath or fainting.

About Boca Raton Regional Hospital – Advancing the boundaries of medicine.
Boca Raton Regional Hospital is an advanced, tertiary medical center (BRRH.com) with 400 beds and more than 800 primary and specialty physicians on staff. The Hospital is a recognized leader in oncology, cardiovascular disease and surgery, minimally invasive surgery, orthopedics, women's health, emergency medicine and the neurosciences, all of which offer state-of-the-art diagnostic and imaging capabilities. The Hospital is a designated Comprehensive Stroke Center by the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA).

SOURCE Boca Raton Regional Hospital

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