The pacemaker is a technology implemented in 400,000 French people. It requires major surgery, but a miniature device is being developed in the United States.
The St Jude Medical Company is launching a new type of miniature and wireless pacemaker, the Nanostim, which could put an end to the uncertainties associated with these devices. Four million people are equipped with it around the world. The pacemaker delivers electrical impulses to the heart or speeds it up if it is too slow. Its implantation requires invasive surgery and the equipment is not always reliable.
The size of a 1 euro coin
The installation of a pacemaker requires the opening of the torso and the creation of a pocket to accommodate the device and its wires. This poses a risk of infection in the pocket. The Nanostim could spell the end of invasive surgery to install a pacemaker. It is 90% smaller than traditional equipment. It’s about the size of a 1 euro coin. Another strong point: it uses an integrated battery. Smaller than an AAA battery, it lasts between 9 and 13 years. Its small size allows it to be inserted into the body through a catheter placed in the femoral artery, at the level of the groin.
St Jude Medical is enthusiastic: no more threads, infections and dysfunctions. Patients will no longer have to limit their physical efforts. The installation of the miniature pacemaker should take an average of 30 minutes. It is also designed to be easily removed in the event of a battery change. The European Union has granted the product the “CE” standard which guarantees compliance with European laws. It remains to obtain the agreement of the American health authority, the FDA.
A contrasting welcome
The doctors who participated in the conception of Nanostim present it as a small revolution. It is true that the development of a wireless pacemaker could be a game-changer for patients. Further proof of the value of such a device: the American start-up EBR Systems is currently developing another wireless pacemaker, the “Wireless Cardiac Stimulation”. The battery is an electrode the size of a grain of rice.
Other doctors are more moderate. The technology is still in its early stages. They are asking for long-term studies to find out the battery life of Nanostim, its reliability and if it is really easy to remove.
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