Winifred, Heart Patient

When Winifred started experiencing shortness of breath while caring for her husband, Thomas, during their regular walks at his convalescent home, she knew something was wrong.

"I was having difficulty breathing. He loved to walk around and I'd have to push the wheelchair," she says. "I got where I had to tell him: 'I can't do it anymore'."

After several tests, Winifred was diagnosed with Bradycardia – a slow or irregular heart rhythm, usually fewer than 60 beats per minute. Luckily for Winifred, treatment for her condition came in a machine the size of large pill – the Micra® Transcatheter Pacing System (TPS). Comparable in size to a large vitamin, the Micra TPS provides patients with the most advanced pacing technology at one-tenth the size of a traditional pacemaker. "It’s a quantum leap for patient care," says Saint Agnes Cardiologist Jagroop Basraon, DO.

"When I found out I needed a pacemaker, I thought, 'Oh no, I'll be tied down for 4-6 week'," she says. "Then, the doctors told me about this new pacemaker and I was thrilled."

The entire procedure only took about 25 minutes, and once implanted, the device began working immediately to keep the heart in rhythm.

"This innovative technology is a significant advancement in cardiac care and we’re proud to be able to offer it to Valley patients," says Dr. Basraon. The Micra lasts 11 to 13 years when in constant use, giving patients more freedom to live their lives without fear of the device's longevity.

"I'm much more active. I'm back doing all the things I enjoyed doing – playing cards with the girls, taking part in potlucks, having the grandkids over, and just enjoying life," she says.

For more about the Micra® Transcatheter Pacing System (TPS), including the ABC30 Action News behind-the-scenes story, click here.