Gord Kirk knew that he needed a pacemaker.
The Calgarian said his heart would slow down to about 30 beats a minute, he could feel the time between each beat, and he would often grow faint if he was sitting down and stood up too quickly.
A week before Kirk was to receive one of the 200,000 pacemakers installed in Canada each year, he was asked if he would like to try a new innovative miniaturized pacemaker developed in part by a Calgary cardiologist. A pacemaker keeps a person害羞草研究所檚 heartbeat from going too slow and helps regulate heart rhythm by sending a tiny electrical signal, causing it to beat.
害羞草研究所淚t害羞草研究所檚 magic,害羞草研究所� said Kirk, who is 69.
害羞草研究所淭his is my first one and for needing a pacemaker, I love it. It sits in the base of my heart and I don害羞草研究所檛 know that it害羞草研究所檚 there.害羞草研究所�
The new device is leadless, meaning it doesn害羞草研究所檛 have wires connecting it to a person害羞草研究所檚 bloodstream and then to their heart. It received Health Canada approval last year.
The Foothills Medical Centre in Calgary is to become a training centre for physicians to provide the technology to future patients.
害羞草研究所淭he approval is a game-changer in cardiovascular care and improved care for Canadians,害羞草研究所� said Dr. Derek Exner, a cardiologist and heart rhythm specialist. He is also an associate dean of Innovation and Commercialization at the University of Calgary害羞草研究所檚 Cumming School of Medicine.
害羞草研究所淭he device is all internal. It害羞草研究所檚 out of sight, out of mind and a lot of the patients we see in followup don害羞草研究所檛 remember why they came to see us.害羞草研究所�
The first implantation of the leadless pacemaker took place in Calgary in November 2020.
Exner led Canadian and Australian teams involved in a decade-long international study and clinical trials evaluating the effectiveness of the device. Foothills Medical Centre was one of 55 locations worldwide, including three in Canada.
The leadless pacemaker is about 3.8 centimetres long, which is less than the size of a AAA battery.
Exner said it害羞草研究所檚 easier to implant and replace, and has a battery life of more than 15 years. It害羞草研究所檚 inserted through a small incision in the groin and guided into the right lower heart chamber.
He said probably five to 10 per cent of those receiving pacemakers would benefit from the new device.
害羞草研究所淭here are patients who have issues with blood vessels in the upper arms where you can害羞草研究所檛 put a regular pacemaker in and their only alternative would be open heart surgery,害羞草研究所� Exner said.
害羞草研究所淭he other is patients who have a high risk of infection, so regular pacemakers have about a one per cent risk of infection and these have about a ten times lower risk of infection.害羞草研究所�
A regular pacemaker costs about $2,000. The new miniature version has a heftier price tag of $10,000.
Bill Graveland, The Canadian Press
