Coimbra doctors made history this week after they successfully implanted the world’s smallest pacemaker, using a minimally invasive procedure “without the necessity of placing electrodes, which are the main reasons for long-term complications” in patients. The device, with a 10-year lifespan, is geared towards sufferers of brachycardia (an abnormally slow heartbeat), and measures just 2.5 cm – which is roughly 10 times smaller than conventional models on the market.
The pioneering team behind its launch – CHUC university hospital doctors Luís Elvas and José Nascimento – said it marks a “new step in the treatment of cardiac arrhythmias”.
