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Adventist Health Hanford is now offering the world's smallest pacemakers to Central Valley patients, the hospital announced in a July 12th press release.

Sukhvinder Bhajal, MD, a cardiac electrophysiologist, performed the first Hanford procedure.

The Micra VR and Micra AV Transcatheter Pacing Systems (TPS) is a leadless pacemaker option for patients who only require pacing in the ventricle. It is used to monitor and regulate heartbeats that are slow, fast or irregular, affecting heart function and blood flow.

Comparable in size to a large vitamin, Micra is less than one-tenth the size of traditional pacemakers yet delivers advanced pacing technology to patients via a minimally invasive approach.

During the implant procedure, the device is attached to the heart with small tines and delivers electrical impulses that pace the heart through an electrode at the end of the device.

"It's rewarding to provide this life-saving technology that is much less intrusive than traditional pacemakers," Dr. Bhajal said. "It dramatically improves heart conditions and is cosmetically invisible to the patient, with no wires, bumps or chest scars."

Unlike traditional pacemakers, Micra does not require leads or a surgical "pocket" under the skin, so potential sources of complications related to leads and pockets are eliminated.

The Micra VR

Micra's miniaturized size and minimally invasive approach can mean fewer post-implant activity restrictions and no obstructions to shoulder movement, allowing patients to get back to living their lives more quickly.

In addition to the Micra implants, Adventist Health Hanford's Cardiac Catheterization Lab offers complete cardiac diagnostic services with a variety of pacemaker, defibrillator and monitor implants to meet patients' individual care needs. Other services include angiography, angioplasty, stent placement, cardiac ablation for arrhythmias, abdominal arteriogram and cardioversion.

Community members who would like more information about heart health should first meet with their primary care provider. For appointments or more information, visit http://www.AdventistHealth.org/CentralValleyOnlineScheduling.