'Game-changer': Calgary becomes training hub for new miniaturized pacemaker
Gord Kirk knew that he needed a pacemaker.
The Calgarian said his heart would slow down to about 30 beats a minute, he could feel the time between each beat, and he would often grow faint if he was sitting down and stood up too quickly.
A week before Kirk was to receive one of the 200,000 pacemakers installed in Canada each year, he was asked if he would like to try a new innovative miniaturized pacemaker developed in part by a Calgary cardiologist. A pacemaker keeps a person's heartbeat from going too slow and helps regulate heart rhythm by sending a tiny electrical signal, causing it to beat.
"It's magic," said Kirk, who turns 69 in February.
"I can do all the exercise that I want. My sleep is fine, I have eliminated any kind of dizzy spells from low heart rate."
The new device is leadless, meaning it doesn't have wires connecting it to a person's bloodstream and then to their heart. It received Health Canada approval last year.
"It's not just sitting flopping around in the heart," Kirk said. "It's actually screwed in, I think, one or two turns into the heart muscle to anchor it and that's where it sits."
It received Health Canada approval last year.
The Foothills Medical Centre in Calgary is to become a training centre for physicians to provide the technology to future patients.
"It's a game-changer in terms of how to treat patients," said Dr. Derek Exner, a cardiologist and heart rhythm specialist. He is also an associate dean of Innovation and Commercialization at the University of Calgary's Cumming School of Medicine.
"The device is all internal. It's out of sight, out of mind and a lot of the patients we see in follow-up don't remember why they came to see us."
The first implantation of the leadless pacemaker took place in Calgary in November 2020.
Exner led Canadian and Australian teams involved in a decade-long international study and clinical trials evaluating the effectiveness of the device. Foothills Medical Centre was one of 55 locations worldwide, including three in Canada.
The leadless pacemaker is about 3.8 centimetres long, which is less than the size of a AAA battery.
Exner said it's easier to implant and replace, and has a battery life of more than 15 years. It's inserted through a small incision in the groin and guided into the right lower heart chamber.
He said probably five to 10 per cent of those receiving pacemakers would benefit from the new device.
"There are patients who have issues with blood vessels in the upper arms where you can't put a regular pacemaker in and their only alternative would be open heart surgery," Exner said.
"The other is patients who have a high risk of infection, so regular pacemakers have about a one per cent risk of infection and these have about a ten times lower risk of infection."
Exner also added, "for years and years I've seen patients who say how unhappy they were (saying) 'it bothers me, it's uncomfortable.' Now we can put in these miniature devices which in fact last longer than normal pacemakers and have about half the risk."
A regular pacemaker costs about $2,000. The new miniature version has a heftier price tag of $10,000.
With files from Stephanie Thomas, CTV News
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 9, 2023
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Multiple bridges in Calgary shut down for police incident
Calgary police have shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers deal with a distraught individual.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.
Humboldt Broncos bus crash survivor qualifies Canada for Paralympics in rowing event
Former Humboldt Broncos goaltender and bus crash survivor Jacob Wassermann has qualified Canada for a rowing event for the 2024 Paralympic games in Paris.
Baby boom amongst nurses leads to maternity ward closure in Listowel, Ont.
The emergency room at Listowel’s hospital is open today, but come summer, their obstetrics unit will be temporarily closing its delivery rooms.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
Krispy Kreme doughnuts coming to McDonald's in U.S., but not Canada
Canadians will be missing out on a sweet new partnership between McDonald's and Krispy Kreme, which will see doughnuts available at McDonald's locations across the U.S. by the end of 2026.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Quebec judge orders bus driver to stand trial for 2023 daycare crash deaths
A judge has ordered a Quebec man to stand trial on charges of first-degree murder in the deaths of two children killed when a bus rammed into a Montreal-area daycare last year.