Every year, around 250,000 people in the U.S. receive a cardiac pacemaker to help steady their heartbeat, according to research estimates. Now, many will qualify for a new type of pacemaker: an innovative, dual-chamber wireless option. White Plains Hospital is the first hospital in the state north of New York City to offer this technology to its patients.
A pacemaker is often recommended for patients whose heart rate is too slow and are having symptoms like fainting or dizziness. Traditionally, the device is implanted close to the shoulder, with wires connecting it to the heart. This new technology—the AVEIR DR dual-chamber leadless pacemaker system—means no wires are necessary at all.
As a result, “patients will now be able to have a pacemaker that they don’t see or feel. It’s working in the background and they don’t have a constant reminder,” says Dr. Marc Waase, Ph.D., a board-certified Cardiac Electrophysiologist and Director of Cardiogenetics at the White Plains Hospital Center for Advanced Medicine & Surgery.
Also key: The new technology can be offered to a greater number of patients, including those on dialysis who were previously not eligible for a pacemaker. “Almost everybody who needs a pacemaker is going to be eligible for the AVEIR DR dual-chamber leadless pacemaker system,” says Dr. Waase.
That’s in part because, as a dual-chamber pacemaker, it helps both the top and the bottom chambers of the heart work together. More than 80 percent of patients require this type of pacing. (Single-chamber wireless pacemakers already exist, but these are only helpful for the small number of people who need pacing in just one chamber, Dr. Waase explains.)
Here’s how the AVEIR DR pacemaker works: Instead of being implanted in the shoulder, the leadless dual-chamber pacemaker is placed directly in the heart. During the minimally invasive procedure, which was first performed at White Plains Hospital in April 2024, a catheter is inserted into the groin. Then, two small devices are implanted directly into the top and bottom chambers of the heart. These two devices communicate with each other to establish steady heartbeat pacing.
Plus, there is no scarring and no shoulder-activity restrictions. “[In the past] we’ve limited patients’ activity with their arms—no lifting, playing tennis, playing golf. Now that restriction will be lifted because they don’t have that device in their shoulder,” says Dr. Waase. The device is estimated to last as long as 20 years, compared to a traditional pacemaker’s 10 to 12 years.
Traditional wired pacemakers will still be used in specific cases, such as for people with heart failure. And Dr. Waase doesn’t recommend patients who currently have a pacemaker switch to the new technology unless there’s an issue with their device.
Overall, as Dr. Waase notes, “This is state-of-the-art technology that gives our patients more options and is an innovative, important step forward in the care we provide here at White Plains Hospital.”
Dr. Marc Waase is a board-certified cardiac electrophysiologist and Director of Cardiogenetics at the White Plains Hospital Center for Advanced Medicine & Surgery. For an appointment, call 914-849-2690.