Mallorca defibrillator keeps wire outside heart in Balearic first
In Mallorca, doctors have fitted the Balearic Islands’ first implantable defibrillator with its wire beneath the breastbone, outside the heart. Cardiologist Julián Palacios’s team implanted the device in a woman from the islands at Son Espases University Hospital in Palma, Mallorca, on 2 November. The Balearic health department says the operation was successful.
Why the wire sits beneath the breastbone
The device, called an extravascular implantable defibrillator, is designed to prevent sudden deaths caused by dangerous heart rhythms. Unlike a conventional implantable defibrillator, its wire does not enter a vein or a chamber of the heart. It sits beneath the breastbone, close to the heart.
The health department says this approach is less invasive and reduces the risk of local infection or damage to heart valves. The device can deliver a shock to correct a dangerous rhythm and provide stimulation to counter a fast heartbeat.
Who could receive it
The device is similar to conventional systems in size, shape and lifespan. It is suitable only for someone whose heart’s electrical conduction system is intact and who does not need a pacemaker.
Potential recipients include people at risk of sudden death from rhythms arising in the heart’s lower chambers. Younger patients may also benefit from avoiding a wire inside the heart.
Topics: Health
Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com