World’s smallest pacemaker for cardiology patients now offered at Medical City Dallas

Oct 6 2017

Miniaturized Heart Device Provides Patients with the Most Advanced Pacing Technology Available

Medical City Dallas is now offering the world’s smallest pacemaker for cardiology patients. The Micra^® pacemaker 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 Medical City Dallas was recently performed by Interventional Cardiologist, Michael Isaac, MD.

The Micra pacemaker specifically treats bradycardia - a condition characterized by a slow or irregular heart rhythm, usually fewer than 60 beats per minute. 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 spells. Pacemakers are the most common way to treat bradycardia to help restore the heart's normal rhythm and relieve symptoms by sending electrical impulses to the heart to increase the heart rate.

Comparable in size to a large vitamin, physicians at Medical City Dallas are now using the Micra pacemaker because, unlike traditional pacemakers, the device does not require cardiac wires or a surgical “pocket” under the skin to deliver a pacing therapy. Instead, the device is small enough to be delivered through a catheter and implanted directly into the heart – all while being cosmetically invisible. The Micra pacemaker is also designed to automatically adjust pacing therapy based on a patient’s activity levels.

“The Micra pacemaker is more comfortable for patients and does not affect their outward appearance,” said Michael Isaac, MD, Interventional Cardiologist. “There is no stigma associated with the Micra pacemaker, and it does not interfere with patients’ abilities to play sports or perform physical activities.”