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ELECTROPHYSIOLOGY
LEADLESS PACERS
For nearly a decade , electrophysiologists on the medical staff at Baylor Scott & White Heart and Vascular Hospital – Dallas have been involved in safely bringing to market and to patients the world ’ s smallest leadless pacemaker .
The size of a nickel or paperclip , the pacemaker represents the first entry in what is a new class of slender , minimally invasive pacemakers that rest entirely inside the heart , specifically the right ventricle . Tiny bits of metal on the end of the pacemaker hook or screw into the heart tissue . This avoids the need for traditional pacemaker insulated wires called leads to deliver the pacemaker ’ s electric pulses . Leads have long been called the “ Achilles ’ heel ” of pacemakers because they can wear out and create infection risk .
Leadless pacemakers implanted ( FY22 )
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DEVICE LEAD EXTRACTION
Patients who are referred to the Dallas campus with complex conditions may need removal of leads because of electrical malfunctions , blocked blood vessels or infection . In most cases , the leads can be removed using a catheter-based approach .
Lead extractions
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TREATING CENTRAL SLEEP APNEA : NEWEST TREATMENT OPTION
Another example of early adoption of treatment options includes a phrenic nerve stimulator device for patients with central sleep apnea ( CSA ). The procedure involves implanting the small device to treat central sleep apnea by using phrenic nerve stimulation . CSA is a serious breathing disorder that disrupts the normal breathing pattern during sleep and negatively affects sleep quality . Associated with poor outcomes , CSA may lead to increased risk for abnormal heart rhythms in addition to adversely affecting heart health . CSA is caused by the brain ’ s inability to send appropriate signals to the respiratory muscles to stimulate breathing .
Once implanted under the skin in the patient ’ s upper chest , the battery-powered remedē ® System activates automatically each night to stimulate the phrenic nerve in the chest that sends signals to the muscles controlling breathing . The device monitors respiratory signals and helps restore normal breathing patterns .