Hartford Hospital Doctors Implant World’s Smallest Pacemaker

Doctors at Hartford Hospital implanted the world’s smallest pacemaker at Hartford Hospital this year.

Known as the Micra transcatheter pacing system, the device is designed for patients who need a single-chamber pacemaker.

The Micra transcatheter pacemaker is implanted through a vein in the upper leg.  A catheter is placed into the femoral vein and a delivery system is placed up into the heart. The Micra pacemaker is then introduced into the lower right pumping chamber of the heart, the right ventricle. The device has tines on it that keep it secured to the heart muscle.
Unlike the more traditional pacemaker, the Micra device has no leads or wires.  It is completely self-contained. Once the

Micra is in a suitable location, the tether that secures it to the delivery system is cut and the delivery system and catheter are removed from the body. The procedure takes about 45 minutes to perform.

Since the Micra pacing system has no leads like a traditional pacemaker, complications such as dislodgment or fracture of these wires are eliminated. There is also a lower risk of infection and there is no visible scar, like we see with traditional pacemakers. The Micra pacemaker is MRI compatible, as are many of the newer traditional pacemakers, and has a battery longevity of about 12 years. The Micra also has the ability to increase a patient’s heart rate for them when their heart is unable to.