FDA Approves World's Smallest yet Leadless Pacemaker

Medtronic announced it has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of the world's smallest pacemaker, the Medtronic Micra Transcatheter Pacing System (TPS). The Micra TPS is the first FDA-approved product with miniaturized pacing technology. It is cosmetically invisible and small enough to be delivered through a catheter and implanted directly into the heart -providing a safe alternative to conventional pacemakers without the complications associated with cardiac wires (leads).

Comparable in size to a large vitamin, the Micra TPS is attached to the heart with small tines and delivers electrical impulses that pace the heart through an electrode at the end of the device. Unlike traditional pacemakers, the Micra TPS does not require leads or a surgical "pocket" under the skin, so potential sources of complications related to such leads and pocket are eliminated-as are any visible signs of the device. The device responds to patients' activity levels by automatically adjusting therapy.

Micra TPS is the first and only transcatheter pacing system to be approved for both 1.5 and 3 Tesla (T) full-body magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans, providing patients with access to the most advanced imaging diagnostic procedures available.

The Micra design incorporates a retrieval feature to enable retrieval when possible; however, the device is designed to be left in the body. For patients who need more than one device, the miniaturized Micra TPS was designed with a unique feature that enables it to be permanently turned off so it can remain in the body and a new device can be implanted without risk of electrical interaction.

Further info can be found from Medtronic website by clicking this link.

Also in news: St. Jude obtains CE approval for MRI Compatible Nanostim Leadless Pacemaker