Chandigarh- In a major medical breakthrough for North India, the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, has successfully implanted a leadless pacemaker in a young adolescent patient—the first case of its kind in the entire upper northern region of the country.
The patient, a 15-year-old girl, was suffering from congenital complete heart block, a condition that interrupts the heart's normal rhythm and can cause fatigue, dizziness, and in severe cases, sudden cardiac arrest. The device implanted was the MicraTranscatheter Pacing System.
The procedure was carried out by Prof. SaurabhMehrotra, senior cardiologist at PGIMER, under the supervision of HOD Prof. Yash Paul Sharma.
“This marks a significant advancement in the way we manage rhythm disorders in young patients. Leadless pacemakers offer a safer, less invasive option with fewer long-term complications,” said Prof. Mehrotra.
Unlike traditional pacemakers, which require a chest incision, and wires (leads) threaded through blood vessels into the heart, the Micra device is inserted through a catheter via the femoral vein in the thigh and fixed directly inside the heart. About the size of a large vitamin capsule, it eliminates the risk of lead-related issues and visible scarring—an important consideration, especially for growing children and teenagers.
While leadless pacemakers have been in use in adults for several years, their application in young patient cases remains rare due to anatomical and long-term considerations. However, recent studies have shown encouraging outcomes, and this success at PGIMER is expected to pave the way for broader use of the technology in younger patients across India.
With this milestone, PGIMER further cements its reputation as a center of excellence in advanced cardiac care, offering new hope to patients with complex heart rhythm disorders.