"Wireless Pacemaker Gets Cautious Endorsement"
A tiny, wireless pacemaker could offer some heart patients a surgery-free alternative to the traditional devices, a new study says. Some doctors, however, say there are lingering safety questions and warned patients not to rush to get the new technology. Unlike traditional pacemakers - which need a generator and wires and are implanted via surgery - the new pacemaker is a wireless tiny tube that can be attached to the right side of the heart using a catheter inserted through the leg. Vivek Reddy, MD, of The Mount Sinai Hospital, who led the new research, said he expected the device to be approved by the FDA. "Patients are going to want this new pacemaker," he predicted. "It's up to doctors to talk to their patients about this, but patients will want (the smaller pacemaker) once they know about it." Learn more.