Medtronic receives Health Canada licence for Micra™ AV

Micra AV in hand

BRAMPTON — Medtronic Canada ULC, a subsidiary of Medtronic plc announced on Dec. 21 that it has received a Health Canada licence for Micra™ AV, the world’s smallest pacemaker with atrioventricular (AV) synchrony. Micra AV is indicated for the treatment of patients with AV block, a condition in which the electrical connection between the chambers of the heart (the atria and the ventricle) is impaired.

Historically, patients with AV block had traditional dual-chamber pacemakers implanted in the upper chest, below the collar bone, and connected to the heart using thin wires called “leads.” Identical in size and shape to the original leadless Micra Transcatheter Pacing System (TPS), Micra AV has several additional features, including internal atrial sensing algorithms which detect cardiac movement, allowing the device to adjust pacing in the ventricle to coordinate with the atrium, providing “AV synchronous” pacing therapy to patients with AV block.

“With the licensing of Micra AV, more patients will benefit from a new way to implant pacemakers,” say Dr. Blandine Mondésert, cardiac electrophysiologist at the Montreal Heart Institute, and associate professor at Université de Montréal. “The advantages of leadless pacing include a better quality of pacing, fewer complications related to the leads and pacemaker pocket, cosmetic implantation, and atrioventricular synchronization in patients in sinus rhythm. Real-world use of Micra has shown a 63% reduction in major complications compared to traditional transvenous pacemakers. Especially in older patients, but also in younger ones, it is a game-changer.”

Unlike traditional pacemakers, Micra does not require leads or a surgical “pocket” under the skin, so potential sources of complications related to leads and pockets are eliminated – as are any visible signs of the device.