St John of God Bunbury Hospital sets hearts pacing closer to home

South West residents now have access to a breakthrough pacemaker treatment bringing excellent cardiac care closer to home without having to travel to Perth.

12 Apr 2019

Micra heart pacemaker implant St john of God Bunbury

12 April 2019

Cardiologists Dr Vincent Paul and Dr Allison Morton of GenesisCare, completed the first Micra implant outside of the metropolitan area this week.

Despite being one tenth of the size of a traditional pacemaker and weighing less than a coin it delivers all of the benefits of current devices.

St John of God Bunbury Hospital Acting Director of Medical Services, Associate Professor George Eskander said patients generally experience results instantly with their heart pacing at a normal rhythm, and return home the following day.

“It’s a real privilege and an honour to be able to offer this treatment to a non-metro community,” he said.

"This is core to our values of putting our patients at the heart of what we do.”

Pacemaker therapy is the most common way to treat bradycardia (slow heart beat).

Unlike other pacemaker systems Micra does not require the use of wires, known as leads, as it is attached to the inside wall of the heart via small tines.

An electrode at the tip of the device delivers electrical impulses that restore normal cardiac rhythm.