Conway Regional Health System
Conway Regional offers the world’s smallest pacemaker
A pacemaker the size of a large vitamin is improving the lives of heart patients in the River Valley & Ozark Edition coverage area. Conway Regional Health System became one of the first health care facilities in central Arkansas to offer the world’s smallest pacemaker for patients with bradycardia on June 12. Dr. Don Steely, an interventional cardiologist with the Conway Regional Cardiovascular Clinic, implanted three of the pacemakers by mid-July. Conway Regional is the only hospital in Faulkner County to offer the pacemaker. Two of the patients live in Faulkner County and a third in Pope County. The Micra Transcatheter Pacing System (TPS) is a new type of heart device, approved for Medicare reimbursement, that provides patients with the most advanced pacing technology at one-tenth the size of a traditional pacemaker. The device offers multiple patient benefits: • It decreases complications. According to the manufacturer, Medtronic, the new pacemaker eliminates potential complications by 60 percent. • The Micra pacemaker does not require cardiac wires (leads) or a surgical “pocket” under the skin to deliver a pacing therapy. The pacemaker is small enough to be delivered through a catheter and implanted directly into the heart with small tines, providing a safe alternative to conventional pacemakers without the complications associated with leads. • The device also has an average longevity of 12 years, compared to traditional pacemakers that last six to eight years. Mae Stephens, 87, of Conway became the first person in Faulkner County to receive the miniature pacemaker on June 12. “I couldn’t imagine it being that small,” said Stephens. Her family praised the care provided by Steely and the nurses and staff in the Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit and the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory. “Some people think they have to go to Little Rock for these kinds of procedures,” Stephens said, “but we have had procedures in Little Rock that had to be redone here.” “I’m pleased with the outcome of the first procedures. The new miniature pacemaker eliminates the need for surgery. Implanting the pacemaker using a catheter takes about 30 minutes,” Steely said. He complimented the Cardiac Cath Lab staff, who also received additional training to assist with the procedure. Bradycardia is a condition characterized by a slow or irregular heart rhythm, usually fewer than 60 beats per minute. At this rate, the heart is unable to pump enough oxygen-rich blood to the body, causing dizziness, fatigue, shortness of breath or fainting spells. Pacemakers are the most common way to treat bradycardia to help restore the heart’s normal rhythm and relieve symptoms by sending electrical impulses to the heart to increase the heart rate. The Micra TPS was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in April 2016 and has been granted Medicare reimbursement, allowing broad patient access to the novel pacing technology.