Medtronic’s tiny Micra leadless pacemaker approved in U.S.

Medtronic is the first company to receive FDA approval for a new generation of tiny cardiac pacemakers. The Medtronic Micra, a device about the size of a large vitamin pill, resides entirely within the heart and doesn’t require separate leads in order to interface with cardiac tissue.

The Micra is delivered in a minimally invasive fashion via the femoral vein and so avoids potentially dangerous surgeries that may cause serious issues for fragile patients. It has its own tiny tines that grab onto the heart and pass the electrical pulses, essentially doing the work of the pacemaker and leads in one device.

The folks at St. Jude Medical must be dismayed as Medtronic is the first company to receive FDA approval for a new generation of tiny cardiac pacemakers. The Medtronic Micra, a device about the size of a large vitamin pill, resides entirely within the heart and doesn’t require separate leads in order to interface with cardiac tissue.

Micra pacemaker next to a traditional pacemaker.

Medtronic will have to continue studying the Micra for the next few years as it performs in actual patients over an extended period.

We’re hopeful that this approval signals a new age for cardiac therapy and that similarly sized devices from other firms soon make it to and saturate the market.

Source: www.medgadget.com