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