Medtronic's wireless pacemaker wins FDA nod

Medtronic Plc's wireless pacemaker was approved in the United states on Wednesday, making it the first pacemaker that does not need wired leads to correct slow heart rate.

The device named Micra pacemaker is delivered to the heart chambers through a patient's arteries through a catheter, unlike traditional pacemakers that are implanted through an incision and connected to the heart with a wired lead to send electrical pulses to correct heart rate.

The FDA evaluated data from a 719-patient clinical trial that found that 98 percent of patients had a stable heart pacing, six months after the device was implanted, the FDA said in a statement. (http://1.usa.gov/23iwftQ)

(Reporting by Rosmi Shaji in Bengaluru; Editing by Don Sebastian)