Baby has world’s smallest pacemaker implanted to treat dangerous heart condition | Global News Avenue

When Sarah and Michael Oliveri went for a 20-week ultrasound to have their third pregnancy, they thought they knew what to expect. Their previous visit was stressful – the doctor noticed an abnormality at 16 weeks – but blood tests recovered. They believe that the 20-week scan in August 2024 will continue to show that everything is fine.

However, as the ultrasound went on, the doctor “had been heartbroken.”

“They told me in that room that there might be a problem and they were taking me to the hall to the heart department,” she said.

Sarah Oliveri said she and her husband went to the cardiology department “nervous” but believed their doctors provided care. When they meet a cardiologist, they are told that the unborn child has a heart disorder. This is a condition they have never heard of before.

“They told us it was serious and there were people who were worried we might lose him,” Sarah Oliveri said. “But we always believed he would be fine from the beginning.”

What is a heart disorder?

A heart block means that the signal of the heartbeat is not correctly moved from the upper part of the organ to the lower part. It may cause a slow heartbeat or skip. Depending on the stage of a heart disorder, the heartbeat can sometimes only pass. In more severe cases, the heartbeat may not pass at all. Heart block can cause low blood flow throughout the body, and symptoms such as nausea, dizziness and chest pain.

Dr. Reina Tan, a pediatric cardiologist at Nyu Langone, said Oliveri Baby has a complete heart disorder.

Tan did not diagnose the condition, but joined the treatment team when Sarah Oliveri was about 32 weeks pregnant.

Usually, heart disorders are treated with pacemakers that regulate the rhythm of the heart. This device is rare in children. Only about 1 in only 20,000 babies with heart disorders, Tan said only 20% of babies have pacemaker implants shortly after delivery.

“It’s always a question of when you need it,” Tan said.

Adjust pacemaker for newborns

In uterus, Olivius’s baby showed no signs of suffering, but when he was born on December 5, 2024, his heart rate was low. Even if the couple celebrates the birth of their third child, Michael, the doctor is sure he will pace the pacemaker as soon as possible.

“He has a high risk,” Tan said.

The baby nicknamed Mikey was taken to the congenital cardiovascular care room at Hassenfeld Children’s Hospital and was eventually intubated. Pediatric cardiac surgeon Dr. TK Susheel Kumar placed temporary wires, which would simulate the impact of pacemakers to maintain heart rate.

Because few babies are born with a pacemaker, there are few options for newborns in need. Tan said babies must weigh 6.5 to 8 pounds before they can get a standard pacemaker. Mikey is 5.5 pounds, which is too small.

Instead, Tan turned to a pacemaker called Micra, made by biotech company Medtronic. Tan explained that pacemaker was about the size of a vitamin and weighed as much as a cent, but was still too big for him. Kumar said a pacemaker that is too big can cause “more complications” in patients. It can move around the body, or the thin lines connecting it to the heart may break.

Tan and other members of the Pediatric Heart Team apply for emergency approval to use an adapted version of the baby-friendly device. This is the smallest pacemaker in the world. There are only about 50 such devices in the United States that have been implanted in the United States. During the 75-minute surgery, an adaptive version was inserted and placed on the heart.

The day he was born, Maiki was approved as an adapted pacemaker. On December 17, he was underwent surgery.

Prosperous after surgery

After the surgery, Mikey stayed in the pediatric cardiovascular care department for several weeks, received antibiotics to combat any infections and was closely monitored. On January 2, 2025, he was discharged from the hospital. Photos of the day showed a month-old baby wearing a graduation cap and a blue jumpsuit.

Since he was discharged from the hospital, the family has returned to the hospital for follow-up visits many times.

In late January, an electrocardiogram and examination showed his heart was functioning properly. Tan said the tests will be conducted every other month. Tan said Olivius also had a device at home that “basically communicated with the pacemaker,” and the doctor also reviewed the data. Within a few years, the battery on the pacemaker will need to be changed, and at some point, the device will need to be swapped for a larger option.

But for the moment, Mikey and his brother are 3 and 5 years old. At two and a half months old, his mother said, his mother said.

“He’s in a good condition. He’s doing well,” she said.