Inova installs world’s smallest pacemaker: First in Northern Virginia

Keeping Pace

A pacemaker is a small device whose main purpose is to prevent the heart from beating too slowly. Recently, electrophysiologist Aysha Arshad, MD, and a team of experts at Inova Heart and Vascular Institute (IHVI), implanted what is believed to be the world’s smallest pacemaker. Inova is the first to implant such a device in the Northern Virginia region.

The miniature pacemaker (called the Micra) is 93 percent smaller than traditional pacemakers. It is delivered via catheter into the right ventricle of the heart, leaving no chest scar, no bump and fewer complications than traditional pacemakers. Conventional pacemakers consist of a pulse generator, which is attached to one to three leads — or wires — that are inserted within the heart. The generator depends on a microchip and a battery that has a life span of six to 10 years, depending on its use. The Micra is completely self-contained within the heart and offers up to 12 years of battery life.

In related news, IHVI recently earned accreditation in Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology from the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission. Inova is the only hospital in the DC metro area to receive this distinction. Such recognition is a testament to the training and qualifications of Inova’s cardiac electrophysiologists and staff, and the quality and safety provided to Inova’s patients, says Christopher O’Connor, MD, Chief Executive Officer of IHVI.