Matias had a very slow heart rate of about 30 beats per minute. His skin was pale, and he had very little energy.
Dr. Dan Cortez implanted a retrievable leadless pacemaker in Matias, through the child’s internal jugular vein in the Cardiac Catheterization Lab.
“It’s amazing how small the device is. It’s like the size of one AA battery,” said Heather Hayes, whose son Matias was the first to have the procedure done. “My son now wears a medical bracelet to let people know he has a pacemaker because you would never know otherwise. No scars and no sign of it.”
After the procedure, Matias’s heart returned to a normal resting rate, and he had color back in his skin. He was more alert at school.
“His teacher at school noticed the improvement instantly,” said Hayes. “It’s been a blessing. Dr. Cortez is the best. He saved my son.”
The pacemaker is expected to last through childhood and into adulthood, but if the battery needs to be replaced, this retrievable leadless pacemaker will be easy to remove.
