Tests show safety and efficacy of wireless pacemaker

A three-month trial of a new wireless pacemaker has shown the device to be safe and effective, according to researchers.

In a report published in Circulation this month, Vivek Y Reddy, director of the Cardiac Arrhythmia Service at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, called the self-contained unit "a paradigm shift in cardiac pacing".

The pacemaker, which has been developed to minimise the risks of infection or skin breakdown seen with conventional, wired devices, was successfully implanted in 97 per cent of 33 patients with an average age of 77.

Ninety-four per cent of subjects were free of complications through the study. The researchers will continue to track their progress and expect to report longer-term outcomes by the end of 2014.

The pacemaker is six millimetres in diameter and around 42 millimetres long, making it smaller than a triple-A battery.

According to Dr Reddy, it is faster and easier to implant than conventional devices, and programmed and monitored in the same way.