Cardiologists at UPMC Health System are using an excimer laser to extract old cardiac pacemakers and implantable defibrillator wires from the heart, making it an easier and potentially less dangerous and complicated procedure for patients.
Cardiac pacemakers are battery-operated devices that help the heart beat in a regular rhythm.
The implantable defibrillator protects patients at risk from severe heartbeat irregularities called arrhythmias. One or two wires are threaded into the patient's heart during implantation of the pacemaker or defibrillator and are used to carry electrical impulses back and forth between the device and the heart. According to the American Heart Association, about 140,000 pacemakers and over 40,000 defibrillators are implanted yearly in the United States. Sometimes the pacemaker or defibrillator must be replaced because of age, and the wires may require replacement at the same time. Sometimes the wires become infected or can break and must be removed.