7 August, 2025
Pictured L-R: Clint Nelson (Medtronic), Dr Derek Crinion (Consultant Cardiologist and Electrophysiologist), Dr Matthew Williams (Cardiology Registrar), Dr Faysal Azani (Cardiology Registrar), Ms Sarah Early (Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon), Niamh Kelly (Arrhythmia Nurse Specialist), Alanna Quinn (Medtronic) and Stuart Gray (Chief I Cardiac Physiologist)
On Wednesday, 31 July 2025 the Cardiology team in St James’s Hospital became the first in Ireland to implant the Aurora EV Implanted Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD) in an adult patient, in a public hospital.
The Medtronic EV ICD is a pioneering extravascular defibrillator that helps control heart rhythm without any hardware being placed inside the patient’s veins. It offers the advantage of avoiding complications associated with traditional transvenous leads, which are placed inside the veins, and reduces the potential for any injury to the veins or arteries. It is the only extravascular ICD to offer anti-tachycardia pacing; gentle electrical pulses to control rapid heart rhythms, and has a projected longevity similar to standard ICDs, at 11-13 years.
The procedure was carried out by Dr Derek Crinion, Consultant Cardiologist and Electrophysiologist, with Ms Sarah Early, Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon, in attendance. External and inhouse training provided by Medtronic, with preparation by the cardiac physiologists, and the Arrhythmia Specialist Nursing team; Marissa Corcoran, Advanced Nurse Practitioner, and Niamh Kelly, Clinical Nurse Specialist. A special mention to our anaesthetic colleagues; Dr Cathy O’Donoghue, Consultant Anaesthetist and Dr Carolyn Hayes, Specialist Registrar, who were not pictured on the day as they were hard at work on the next case.
This device is especially helpful for patients at risk of sudden cardiac arrest due to abnormal heart rhythms, and it represents a major step forward in cardiac care for patients in St James Hospital.