'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
Canadian gov't proposes new foreign influence registry as part of wide-spanning new bill
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government is proposing a suite of new measures and law changes aimed at countering foreign interference in Canada, amid extensive scrutiny over past meddling attempts and an ever-evolving threat landscape.
Boeing Starliner capsule's first crewed test flight postponed
The long-awaited first crewed test flight of Boeing's new Starliner space capsule was called off for at least 24 hours over a technical issue that launch teams were unable to resolve in time for the planned Monday night lift-off.
Teacher charged in historical sexual assault of Calgary teenage girl
Calgary police have charged a teacher with the alleged sexual assault of a teenage girl more than 20 years ago.
Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, argues he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
Man banned from owning animals after fatal Calgary dog attack
The owner of three Calgary dogs that got loose and mauled a woman to death in 2022 has been ordered to pay a $15,000 fine within one year and banned from owning any animal for 15 years.
East-end Ottawa family dealing with massive rat infestation
Residents in Ottawa’s Elmridge Gardens complex are dealing with a rat infestation that just won’t go away. Now, after doing everything they can to try to fix the issue, they are pleading with the city to step in and help.
Mediterranean staple may lower your risk of death from dementia, study finds
A daily spoonful of olive oil could lower your risk of dying from dementia, according to a new study by Harvard scientists.
An El Nino-less summer is coming. Here's what that could mean for Canada
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Newfoundland and Labrador latest province to tighten rules on Airbnbs
Newfoundland and Labrador is the latest jurisdiction to bring in stricter rules for short-term rentals, with a coming set of regulations that will force operators to register with the provincial government.