The 10 greatest medtech advances of the 2010s

January 2, 2020 By Chris Newmarker

7. Tiny pacemakers

Medtronic Micra medical device miniaturization

Medtronic’s Micra leadless pacing system [Image courtesy of Medtronic]

Medtronic (NYSE:MDT) scored a major advance in pacemaker innovation in 2016 when it achieved FDA approval of its Micra transcatheter pacing system, which is about the size of a vitamin pill. Implanted via catheter into the heart’s right ventricle, it delivers single-chamber pacing without the need for the wires and leads that have proved challenging for pacemaker manufacturers.

St. Jude Medical recalled its leadless pacemaker, Nanostim, in October 2017. Now part of Abbott, it’s competing with Medtronic to produce a leadless dual-chamber pacemaker. – CN

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Chris Newmarker is the executive editor of WTWH Media life science's news websites and publications including MassDevice, Medical Design & Outsourcing and more. A professional journalist of 18 years, he is a veteran of UBM (now Informa) and The Associated Press whose career has taken him from Ohio to Virginia, New Jersey and, most recently, Minnesota. He’s covered a wide variety of subjects, but his focus over the past decade has been business and technology. He holds bachelor’s degrees in journalism and political science from Ohio State University. Connect with him on LinkedIn or email at cnewmarker@wtwhmedia.com.