August 6, 2001

HERSHEY, PA--Today Penn State Children’s Hospital announced it has successfully implanted “the world’s smallest pacemaker” into a five month-old baby girl. John Myers, M.D., director of pediatric and congenital cardiovascular surgery implanted the recently approved Microny^® K SR on July 26, 2001. Penn State Children’s Hospital is the first hospital on the east coast to implant the device and only the fourth hospital in the nation to perform the implant surgery.

            The new device, promoted as a pediatric pacemaker product, was implanted during a 2 ½-hour surgical procedure performed by Dr. Myers. The diminutive size and weight of the pacemaker makes the Microny^® K SR particularly beneficial in cases involving children. The device was approved by the FDA on April 30, 2001.

            At slightly less than half an ounce in weight and 5.9 cc in volume, the Microny^® K SR is the world’s smallest pacemaker. A little bigger than two quarters stacked together, the pediatric pacemaker is approximately 40% smaller than a standard single-chamber pacemaker used in many adult procedures. With its compact physiologic shape, the pacemaker is designed to ease implant-ability and improve patient comfort and aesthetics.

            The Microny^® K SR is designed primarily for patients with bradycardia – slowness of the heartbeat. The recently approved device was designed by St. Jude Medical, Inc., a Minnesota-based manufacturer of medical devices intended specifically for the management of cardiovascular diseases. It is a single-chamber, rate-responsive pacemaker. “Single-chamber” refers to the device’s ability to pace either the upper chamber of the heart (atrium) or the lower chamber of the heart (ventricle).“Rate-responsive” means the device can automatically adapt pacing rates in accord with changes in patient activity.

            Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and Penn State Children’s Hospital implant roughly 80 pacemakers per year in adults and roughly 20 per year in children. Penn State College of Medicine researchers have pioneered many heart devices, including development to improve the quality of life for people who need a pacemaker.

            Dr. Myers states “the infant’s heart rate is normal for the first time since birth and I’m delighted with the outcome of this new device.” 

            As the name implies, pacemakers are devices that “pace” the heart by delivering an electrical stimulus to the heart to maintain a stable rhythm. Patients requiring a pacemaker typically have bradycardia, a slow heart rate defined as less than 60 beats per minute or any rate that is too slow to be physiologically appropriate for a patient’s age, condition and activity level. Bradycardia can cause fatigue, dizziness, lightheadedness and fainting or near-fainting spells.

                  Christopher Zachary, M.D., pediatric cardiologist at Penn State Children’s Hospital referred the baby for surgery after her degree of heart block increased and her heart rate dropped to 55-60 beats per minute. “At that point I felt the placement of a pacemaker would be necessary to restore a more appropriate heart rate,” Dr. Zachary explained. “After consulting with Dr. Myers, he suggested implanting the new pediatric pacemaker,” he said.

            The physician controls the operation of the Microny K SR pacemaker and accesses its stored information using an external programmer that “talks” with the pacemaker via bi-directional telemetry, a technology similar to that used by NASA to communicate with satellites. Through this external programmer, the process of patient management and follow-up is both automated and streamlined, thereby saving valuable patient and clinician time.

            Dr. Myers is part of the Children’s Heart Group at Penn State Children’s Hospital - a team of experienced pediatric cardiovascular physicians, working together to provide world class heart care for children. Children’s Heart Group has experience treating even the rarest of heart defects and conditions with pediatric cardiologists in every subspecialty and a world-renowned pediatric cardiovascular surgeon, they have.  

            The 120-bed Penn State Children’s Hospital at Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center is a valuable community source and a preferred source for children throughout the mid-Atlantic. The Children’s Hospital is staffed by nationally recognized pediatric specialists who use the latest pediatric-specific techniques and technologies. The hospital provides a Level IV neonatal intensive care unit (highest level), a top-ranked pediatric intensive care unit, and a pediatric trauma center.

CONTACT:
Vanessa Viozzi (717) 531-1887 email:vviozzi@psu.edu
Sean Young (717) 531-8606 email:syoung@psu.edu