A wireless pacemaker, the size of a dirham coin, which can correct an irregular heartbeat was implanted for the first time in patients at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi.
Four Emirati patients have received the device – 93 per cent smaller than a traditional pacemaker – since November.
Dr Khalid Al Muti, head of cardiac electrophysiology at the hospital, said patients were previously reluctant to get a pacemaker because of its visibility and the discomfort it caused.
By avoiding it, they risked fatigue, dizziness, loss of consciousness and even sudden death.
Dr Al Muti said he expects a lot more patients to benefit from the new pacemaker.
The first patient was an Emirati woman, aged 22, who wanted to correct her slow heart rate before getting married.
"She was born with her upper and bottom chambers out of sync," Dr Al Muti said. "[Previously] the only solution for her was the traditional pacemaker."
The woman was reluctant to have wires under her skin or attach a visibly large device, "especially before getting married".
"Because of the physical disfigurement of having cuts and bumps, she did not want any of that to happen," Dr Al Muti said.
The implant means the woman will no longer experience intense fatigue as a result of her bradycardia and can now exercise without risk of passing out.
Recovery is quick, with patients discharged the day after their surgery.
Pacemakers monitor the heartbeat, using electrodes that send data to a computer generator. If arrhythmia is detected, the device sends electrical pulses to the heart to make it beat.
"I was a bit scared of getting an implant and placing a battery-operated object inside my body,” said the woman.
“Once I learnt how small it was, I was more confident and wanted to proceed. Medical technology has come so far.
“I feel very lucky and proud to be the first person to receive this device,” she said.
A second patient to receive the pacemaker was a 23-year-Emirati man born with a congenital heart disease.
He had surgery as a child to correct the mechanical problems but began experiencing complications again with age, said Dr Almuti.
While small pacemakers have been available around the world for some time, Dr Almuti said the device available at the hospital is more technically advanced.
"With a 10-year battery life and the ability to report back data on both the heart and its functionality through our remote heart monitoring programme, these devices are an almost perfect solution, With no pocket, wires, charging batteries or maintenance, the risk of complications is very small,” he said.
“When the battery runs out, we can simply install a new one or replace it with the next generation of technology that will be available at the time."
Doctors at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi anticipate that around half of all patients in need of a pacemaker, or up to 250 patients per year, could benefit from the new pacemaker.
