Calgary among 2 Canadian cities offering advanced pacemaker to cardiac patients

An advanced pacemaker is now available for cardiac patients who need help keeping their hearts beating at a normal rate, and Calgary is one of two cities across the country with access to it.

One-tenth the size of a traditional pacemaker, the device is less invasive with a lower risk for infection.

The Aveir DR pacemaker is the world's first dual-chamber, leadless pacemaker, which means it has two pieces that are placed into different parts of the heart. Each is smaller than a AAA battery.

The pacemaker is implanted directly into the heart through a leg vein rather than through the shoulder as with traditional devices, which makes for a quicker recovery.

In Canada, the device is available only at Foothills Medical Centre in Calgary and the Montreal Heart Institute, though it's also being used in other parts of the world such as the United States and Europe.

"There's a huge demand for it," said Dr. Derek Exner, a cardiologist with Alberta Health Services who led an international study with the University of Calgary assessing the effectiveness of the devices.

"It's the difference between having a small pole in their groin and having that basically healed up within a day or two and going back to their usual lifestyle, versus having a constant reminder in their left upper chest."

He said 15 patients have had the pacemaker implanted in Calgary since it became available.

John Kebert is one of those patients.

He was back in the comfort of his own home the day of his surgery in May. Two weeks later, he hiked a mountain.

But this time, it came without the breathlessness and pain that he felt on hikes with his previous, traditional pacemaker.

"I wouldn't be alive without this pacemaker," said Kebert, 77.

"It's quite the thing. I'm really grateful for the technology that allows me to carry on hiking and cross-country skiing."

As the first device of its kind, it is much more costly, Exner said. So for now, it's limited to patients prone to complications — such as infections or issues with blood vessels — and participants in research studies.

But he said he suspects that will change as the technology becomes more common and other, similar devices come onto the market.