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CARDIOVASCULAR JOURNAL OF AFRICA • Volume 26, No 3, May/June 2015
148
AFRICA
South African hospital the first in the Middle East, Africa, central
Asia and Turkey to implant the world’s smallest, minimally
invasive cardiac pacemaker
Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town
is the first hospital in the Middle East,
Africa, central Asia and Turkey to implant
the world’s smallest pacemaker: the
Medtronic Micra™ transcatheter pacing
system (TPS). The device was implanted
recently as part of the Medtronic global
pivotal clinical trial.
One-tenth the size of a conventional
pacemaker and comparable in size to a
large vitamin, the Micra TPS pacemaker
is delivered directly into the heart through
a catheter inserted into the femoral
vein. Once positioned, the pacemaker
is securely attached to the heart wall
and can be repositioned if needed. The
miniature device does not require the use
of wires, known as ‘leads’, to connect to
the heart. Attached to the heart via small
tines, the pacemaker delivers electrical
impulses that pace the heart through an
electrode at the end of the device.
‘This miniaturised technology is
designed to provide patients with
the advanced pacing technology
of traditional pacemakers via a
minimally invasive approach’, said Dr
Ashley Chin, consultant cardiologist/
electrophysiologist at Groote Schuur
Hospital and the University of Cape
Town, who implanted this first Micra
TPS. ‘We are proud that Groote Schuur
Hospital was selected among an elite
group of institutions to take part in this
global clinical trial. If positive, the results
of the trial could potentially benefit the
more than one million people globally
who receive pacemakers each year.’
In contrast to current pacemaker
implant procedures, the Micra TPS
implant does not require a surgical
incision in the chest and the creation of a
‘pocket’ under the skin. This eliminates a
potential source of complications, and any
visible sign of the device. The Medtronic
Micra TPS is an investigational device
worldwide.
For more information, contact
Michelle Burt on tel: 087 997 0120, cell:
083 295 1924 or e-mail: michelleb@
magna-carta.co.za.