PILL-SIZED:In April 2016, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved usage of the pacemaker for patients with bradycardia, a term for a heart rate of less than 60 beats per minute (BPM) in adults. The miniaturised heart device, known as the Micra Transcatheter Pacing System, was implanted at Jackson South Community Hospital, U.S. No more than an inch long, the gadget, unlike traditional pacemakers, is implanted inside the heart. Picture shows the world’s smallest pacemaker being displayed at a media event. It is similar to the one that was implanted into a 78-year-old patient. —PHOTO: AFP

Source: The Hindu September 11, 2016 00:33 UTC