Oman’s Royal Hospital perform first-of-its-kind Aveir leadless pacemaker implant in middle east

A specialized medical team at the National Center for Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery at the Royal Hospital has succeeded in performing a first-of-its-kind operation in the Middle East, implanting the “Aveir” leadless pacemaker by means of a catheter.

Dr. Najeeb bin Zahran Al-Rawahi, Director of the National Center for Cardiac Medicine and Head of the Medical Team, explained to Oman News Agency (ONA) that the operation was performed on a patient who suffers from frequent fainting and cardiac arrest for periods of up to 5 seconds that could lead to death.

He said that the operation was crowned with success, praise be to God, and the patient underwent hypnosis for one day after the operation to monitor her health condition, and she will be followed up periodically at intervals between 4 and 6 months.

He stated that the implantation of the wireless pacemaker “Aveir” in the body was done through a catheter, and this operation was non-surgical, but rather required a small incision through the venous thigh of no more than two centimeters without the need for general anesthesia and took only half an hour, stressing that this achievement comes less than a month after the approval of the American Medicines Agency to use the device to regulate the atrium and ventricle together.

He explained that catheterization is a less invasive medical procedure than surgery, and does not require a long recovery period, and the recovery period is shorter compared to surgeries that require a longer intensive care period for the patient in the hospital.

He indicated that the “Aveir” wireless pacemaker works by sending electrical signals to regulate the heartbeat, indicating that this technology is a breakthrough in the treatment of heart problems, as the device can regulate heartbeats in the ventricles and atria and improve heart function in general. He mentioned that the “Aveir” device has a long battery life of up to 20 years, which means that the patient will not need to replace the battery frequently, and when the battery life runs out, the device can be easily removed through a catheter and replaced with a new one.

He stressed that the wireless pacemaker “Aveir” from Abbott is an innovative and effective technology for treating heart electrical problems and providing a longer battery life with the ability to be easily removed when needed. He stated that this new technology is added for the first time in the Sultanate of Oman, and the National Center for Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery at the Royal Hospital is one of the first centers in the region to provide this technology to patients, which makes the center a training center for conducting this type of operation in the region.

This medical achievement of the National Center for Cardiac Medicine and Surgery is added to the many and continuous successes achieved by the center in conducting qualitative and rare operations in the region.