Photo: FinisherPix
Gina’s heart “paused” twice while she was in the ER with one of the longest atrial fibrillation (Afib) episodes she had ever experienced. It was 2022, and a newly FDA-approved dual chamber leadless (wireless) pacemaker was available through a clinical trial in only a few select sites across the country.
Thankfully for Gina, Hoag was one of those sites. The principal investigator for the trial at Hoag, Rajesh Banker, M.D., is a board-certified cardiac electrophysiologist, and a world-expert in the dual chamber leadless pacemaker. He is also Gina’s cardiologist, someone Gina trusts.
Even so, when Dr. Banker proposed that the then 58-year-old receive a pacemaker, Gina said she balked.
“I tried to talk him into an ablation–I could handle that. I thought, ‘I’m too young to have a pacemaker,’” she said. “Now, I am so grateful.”
Dr. Banker suspected that Gina had sick sinus syndrome, a type of heart rhythm disorder that can cause slow and irregular heartbeats. Treatment usually requires a pacemaker, and Dr. Banker said the dual chamber leadless pacemaker available at Hoag would allow Gina to get back into her active lifestyle without missing a beat – literally.
Traditional pacemakers use wires (called leads) to deliver impulses to the heart. Placement of a traditional pacemaker requires surgery, and the leads can limit a person’s ability to raise their arms above their heads, something Gina wanted to avoid.
“I do some weightlifting. With pacemakers that have leads, you’re restricted with arm movement,” she said. “One of the common problems is that the leads can come loose or break. If I had the traditional pacemaker with wires, I doubt I would be as active as I am now.”
Gina said another factor in helping her choose to participate in the clinical trial is the trust she has in Dr. Banker.
“The more I researched, the more confidence I had in Dr. Banker. My neighbor and multiple friends also happened to be his patients. They had nothing but praise for him,” she said. “His whole team is great.”
The world’s first dual chamber leadless pacemaker provides consistent atrioventricular synchrony, meaning the pacemaker implanted in the right atrium and the pacemaker implanted in the right ventricle can recreate the beat-to-beat synchronization that would normally occur in the heart.
“Leadless pacemakers have been FDA approved for several years, but only for a single chamber. The latest FDA approval expands access to the benefits of leadless pacemakers to far more people than ever before. Nearly 80% of people who need a pacemaker require pacing in two chambers of the heart (the right atrium and right ventricle). This dual chamber leadless pacemaker is a game-changer for cardiac patients,” Dr. Banker said. “By eliminating leads and generator pockets of traditional pacemakers, this device reduces the risk of complications such as lead dislodgment, infection or vein thrombosis.”
Gina says that by normalizing her heart rhythm, her pacemaker has increased her energy.
Six months after her procedure, Gina ran her first half-marathon. She ran a 10K in Catalina and the Surf City Half Marathon. She already signed up for the half marathon next year, with the goal to beat her personal record.
“I think I can do it,” she said. “My heart rate is at a normal pace now, and I know that if I have a long Afib episode, my heart won’t stop. I have what I call my backup buddy, that security. My goal is to hit the ground running into my 60s.”
