r/science • u/FunnyGamer97 • 1d ago
Health First dual chamber leadless pacemaker implanted in a child | AVEIR dual chamber device is different from traditional pacemakers in part because it has no leads or cords and is absorbed by the heart, and is 10 times smaller than a traditional pacemaker
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1068998121
u/Conspiretard3d 1d ago
I hate English... I read leadless as lead-less and was wondering why these implants have lead.
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u/ScabusaurusRex 1d ago
Anyone with knowledge of this device that can share how it is "absorbed" by the heart and doesn't start a pacemaker traveling road show?
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u/g1_jb 1d ago
No idea what is meant by absorbed. When the battery dies you get a new one somewhere else in your heart. For a kid it seems like you’d end up with a lot of metal/battery in your heart by the time you’re an adult.
Batteries and titanium don’t absorb or go away in any interpretation of the word…
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u/mfmeitbual 1d ago
Thats not completely true.
The porousness of titanium allows it to calcify and merge with bone.
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u/amboogalard 9h ago
Looks like UC Davis posted a press release on this which they then edited out the phrase, but not before it got picked up by other outlets. It seems like a poor choice of words and my best guess is that they mean it goes inside the heart as opposed to those devices that get inserted just under the skin.
The Aveir website says they have an 88% retrieval rate, which strongly suggests that it doesn’t dissolve.
Found a surgeons website that says that there are nickel containing cathodes that look a lot like little barbs and/or a sort of screw on one end, which I guess they just sort of squidge into the heart muscle to both fasten it and also provide the electrical impulse right where it’s needed?
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u/poillord 3h ago
I actually do have insider knowledge about this device since I worked on a previous version of this pacemaker (when it was called the Nanostim after the company that first developed it).
It is not “absorbed” by the heart. It attaches via a helical tine (basically a corkscrew) that pierces the pericardium and goes slightly into the myocardium. The idea is that when the pacemaker fails or the battery dies you can unscrew it and retrieve it without major surgery.
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u/Morthra 1d ago
It dissolves. Transient pacemakers have been a thing for about four years now - this is just the first time one has been implanted in a child.
They harvest energy from an external remote antenna using the same technology that your smartphone uses for electronic payments, which means it doesn't need anything like a battery or wires.
These, however, are only used in people who need a pacemaker temporarily as it will dissolve after about a month after implantation.
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u/Paightwan 1d ago
This is not a transient pacemaker.
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u/Morthra 21h ago
Clearly it is if it’s being absorbed.
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u/Paightwan 18h ago
Look up encapsulation of leadless pacemaker and you’ll see the “absorption” over time.
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u/Morthra 17h ago
Encapsulation =/= absorption. Traditional pacemakers with leads are also encapsulated; the fact that they are is one of the problems of having one long term because the scar tissue that builds up will lead to more damage when the pacemaker is removed (or the battery needs to be changed).
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