Novant Health New Hanover Regional Medical Center now offers patients leading-edge pacemaker

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Novant Health New Hanover Regional Medical Center is now offering eligible patients the Aveir leadless pacemaker.

According to a press release, the pacemaker is smaller than an AAA battery. Aveir is threaded into the heart through a small tube (catheter) inserted through a vein in the thigh. Instead of wires and a transmitter, Aveir relies on negative and positive electrical charges in blood cells to communicate. It can be implanted in either chamber of the heart — or in both. The device, made by Abbott, was approved in 2023 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

This option may be beneficial for patients who are at a higher risk of infection, and patients may also appreciate the cosmetic benefits: there’s no scar and no bulging pulse generator in the chest. And the risk of complications is low, less than 1%.