Press Coverage

• External Loop Recorder was delivered at patients home and  hooked onto the patient’s body
• This pacemaker is delivered through the leg veins therefore minimizing the risk of cross infection
• The pacemaker is of the size of a vitamin capsule
• Post discharge a telemetry device given to the patient so that he doesn’t have to the visit the hospital for follow ups

Gurugram, 12th May 2020: Paras Hospitals, Gurugram has been strictly following the stay at home guideline for its patients even while placing the world’s smallest pacemaker in an 83-year-old man. The cardio specialists of the multi-specialty hospital, known for performing a multitude of advanced cardiac procedures including TAVR, had called the ailing patient just once to implant the pacemaker and kept a check on his health through an External Loop Recorder (ELR) to avoid any risk of cross-infection during Covid-19.

Dr. Amit Bhushan Sharma, Associate Director and Head of Unit – Cardiology, said the non-invasive surgery was unique in many ways. The patient had the history of breathlessness and black outs and the family wanted to minimise hospital visits due to the coronavirus pandemic. The ELR was delivered at the patient’s residence and hooked on to him like a belt under his clothes  for five days and it recorded the ECG every minute and any abnormality would directly reflected on the  physicians mobile. The day 2 reports showed some abnormal ECG and we called up the patient who revealed he had light headedness and giddiness and patient was immediately asked to come to the hospital and the emergency cardiac team was informed before the patient’s arrival.

“We now have technology that allows diagnosis without visiting the hospital and implanting a pacemaker without any incision or sutures and deploying it just like a stent from the leg veins. In the Covid-19 times, when patients with co-morbidities have been advised to stay at home, this technological advancement is proved out to be beneficial for many elderly patients with heart ailments. Once this pacemaker is installed, they don’t have to come to the hospital for any follow-up. The latest innovation in pacemaker is also MRI compatible and it also does not have wires like other traditional pacemakers that reduce the risks of infections caused due to wires,”said Dr Amit Bhushan Sharma, Associate director and Unit head cardiology, who has pioneered the structural heart disease revolution at Paras Hospital Gurugram.

Micra the lead less miniaturized pacemaker was implanted through the leg veins unlike the conventional pacemaker which is a size of match box and delivered by an incision below the collar bone and physician is close to the patients airways this increasing the risk of cross infection during this Covid-19 times . Not only that the patient didn’t have to hospital for post or follow up as he was given a telemetry device the size of a mobile which he could just touch on his chest and all the data could be transmitted to the central Lab and then to the patients phone. The leadless pacemaker is merely 2 grams as compared to conventional one.

“I am happy that my body was not cut open for placing the pacemaker and heart disease was managed uniquely during COVID pandemic. When the doctor told us about the capsule-sized pacemaker, we were not about it. But now, my family is happy too along with me. They were worried about me as my recent ECG report showed complete heart block, with 23 beats per minute,” the patient added.