Swedish Hospital Successfully Implants AVEIR™ DR, the World’s First Dual Chamber Leadless Pacemaker System; First to Implant in Illinois
Recently approved by the FDA, Abbott’s AVEIR DR is providing an innovative option to treat people with slow or irregular heart rhythms
Chicago – November 8, 2023 — Swedish Hospital today announced it successfully implanted AVEIR™ DR, the world’s first dual chamber leadless pacemaker system from Abbott that effectively treats people with abnormal or slow heart rhythms. The groundbreaking system approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on June 29, 2023, provides Swedish Hospital, part of NorthShore with a new minimally invasive option to treat the nearly 80% of people who require pacing in two chambers of the heart (both the right atrium and right ventricle).i
Unlike traditional pacemakers, leadless devices are implanted directly into the heart through a minimally invasive procedure and eliminate the need for cardiac leads. As a result, leadless pacemakers reduce people’s exposure to potential lead and pocket-related complications and offer a less restrictive and shorter recovery period post-implantation.
“Abbott’s groundbreaking dual chamber leadless pacemaker will revolutionize care for our current patients and creates a significant opportunity to expand the number of people we can serve,” said Dr. Hany Demo, Cardiac Electrophysiology at Swedish Hospital. “In fact, it is estimated that millions of people across the U.S. require pacing in both chambers of the heart. We look forward to using AVEIR DR to help improve the lives of our patients and better serve our community.”
Roughly one-tenth the size of a traditional pacemaker, the AVEIR DR dual chamber leadless pacing system is made up of two devices – the AVEIR VR ventricular leadless pacemaker, which paces the right ventricle (VR), and the AVEIR AR atrial leadless pacemaker, which paces the right atrium (AR). AVEIR incorporates Abbott’s novel i2i technology, which solves a significant engineering challenge by offering beat-to-beat communication between the two leadless pacemakers.
“This is an excellent technology that will benefit our patients and we are excited to be the first hospital in Illinois to provide this to our patients,” said Dr. Demo regarding the first procedure. “This new technology helps us continue to offer the highest standard of care to our patients.”
Through Abbott’s proprietary i2i™ communication technology, AVEIR DR devices provide synchronized or coordinated cardiac pacing between two leadless pacemakers based on the person’s clinical needs. i2i technology utilizes high-frequency pulses to relay messages via the naturally conductive characteristics of the body’s blood. Conducted communication is critical because it uses far less battery current than inductive, radio frequency, or Bluetooth® communication. AVEIR leadless pacemakers are also engineered to be retrieved should a person’s therapy needs change, or they need a replacement device in the future.
For important U.S. safety information on AVEIR DR, visit: https://abbo.tt/3NzFuE4
