Deborah Heart and Lung employs new pacemaker technology
Deborah Heart and Lung Center, which is celebrating its centennial this year, can add another innovation to its list of accomplishments.
The Browns Mills health center announced July 22 it was the first hospital in the state to implant the new Abbott Aveir VR leadless pacemaker system, used for treating abnormal heart rhythms.
Deborah Heart and Lung Center did the first implant in New Jersey of the Abbott Aveir VR leadless pacemaker. – DEBORAH HEART AND LUNG CENTER
Pacemakers, in general, use electric pulses to trigger a heartbeat.
So what differentiates the Aveir VR leadless pacemaker from other devices? Deborah stated that this is the only one on the market designed to be removed when it has to be replaced.
Additional Aveir VR features:
- Battery life is up to two times longer than existing leadless options
- Mapping capability that allows clinicians to measure electric signals to assess the correct placement of the device before it placed
- A “screw-like” docking button that allows it to be removed when it needs to be replaced
The Aveir VR does not require insulated wires – called cardiac leads – that deliver electrical energy to the heart. Instead, the device is implanted directly into the heart’s right lower chamber using a minimally invasive procedure.
“This is an exciting new development in the evolution of pacemakers,” Dr. Raffaele Corbisiero, chair of electrophysiology and pacing at Deborah, said in a statement. “Previous leadless pacemakers were implanted with small tines which grew into the tissue, making removal nearly impossible. These pacemakers usually had a battery life of about five years, which meant when they had to be replaced we had to put a second device into the patient, crowding the right ventricle.
“The new Aveir VR is anchored in with a screw which allows for it to be removed when it has to be replaced, which is a huge step forward for patients,” Corbisiero continued. “It also has an extended battery life of ten years, which is another significant advantage, as well as sophisticated technology that helps us in placing the device, so we don’t have to reposition it multiple times.”
Gloss