The World’s Smallest Pacemaker Implanted for the First Time in Israel at Shamir Medical Center
Shamir Medical Center’s Arrythmia Institute has recently performed the first ever implant of the world’s smallest pacemaker. The procedure was performed by Dr. Vladimir Vasilenko, a senior cardiac electrophysiologist with an extensive record in new-generation pacemaker transplants. “The considerable advantage in the new generation of small pacemakers is that their performance is better and the risks involved are lower compared to traditional pacemakers,” he explained.
Dr. Vladimir Vasilenko
“You no longer have to insert anything under the patient’s skin, which is visible and protruding, or to insert leads through the patient’s veins. This solution compresses pacing capabilities into a very small, elegant, and streamlined system which does not circulate through the patient’s cardiovascular system, and herein lies its great advantage,” explains Prof. Elad Anter, Director of the Arrhythmia Institute at Shamir Medical Center.
Prof. Elad Anter
According to Prof. Anter, some 5% of Israel’s population over the age of 65 requires a pacemaker implant. “With age, the heart’s conduction system deteriorates and as a result the heart rate is lowered. We rely on the heart rate to perform various activities, and if it fails to rise in accordance with what we are doing, our vital organs do not get all the blood they need, which can cause a feeling of fatigue and prevent us from performing fairly simple tasks. A pacemaker helps avoid this condition,” he says.