Minimally Invasive Implantation of a Micropacemaker Into the Pericardial Space.

Background: Permanent cardiac pacemakers require invasive procedures with complications often related to long pacemaker leads. We are developing a percutaneous pacemaker for implantation of an entire pacing system into the pericardial space.

Methods: Percutaneous micropacemaker implantations were performed in 6 pigs (27.

Design and Testing of a Transcutaneous RF Recharging System for a Fetal Micropacemaker.

We have developed a rechargeable fetal micropacemaker in order to treat severe fetal bradycardia with comorbid hydrops fetalis. The necessarily small form factor of the device, small patient population, and fetal anatomy put unique constraints on the design of the recharging system. To overcome these constraints, a custom high power field generator was built and the recharging process was controlled by utilizing pacing rate as a measure of battery state, a feature of the relaxation oscillator used to generate stimuli.