Is Micra the brand name of the leadless pacemaker, or is Abbott the brand name?

Micra is the Brand Name

Micra is the brand name of a leadless pacemaker manufactured by Medtronic, while Abbott is the company name that manufactures a different leadless pacemaker called Nanostim (now recalled) and more recently, the Aveir system.

Clarification of Leadless Pacemaker Brands

Currently Available Leadless Pacemakers

The evidence clearly distinguishes between manufacturers and their respective product brand names:

• Micra (Medtronic, Minneapolis, MN) - This is the brand name of Medtronic's leadless pacemaker system, which is MRI-conditional up to 3.0 T 1. The Micra system includes variants such as Micra VR and Micra AV 2, 3.

• Abbott's Products - Abbott (Chicago, IL) is the manufacturer that produces:

  • Nanostim - A recalled leadless pacemaker that was MRI-conditional up to 1.5 T, though patients still have these devices implanted 1, 4
  • Aveir - Abbott's current leadless pacemaker system, including the Aveir VR (ventricular) and Aveir AR (atrial) models 2, 3, 5

Key Distinctions

Micra and Aveir/Nanostim are competing products from different manufacturers, not different names for the same device. Recent evidence demonstrates that these devices from different manufacturers can even be used together in hybrid configurations - for example, an Abbott Aveir atrial leadless pacemaker can be implanted alongside a Medtronic Micra ventricular device to achieve dual-chamber pacing 2, 6.

The devices also differ in their technical specifications: Micra VR uses fixation tines, while AVEIR VR uses an active fixation helix 3. These design differences result in different complication profiles, with AVEIR VR showing higher dislodgement rates but better threshold measurement capabilities compared to Micra VR 3.