CARDIAC patients at Dorset County Hospital are set to benefit from the very latest in pacemaker technology.

Consultant cardiologist Dr Tim Edwards has performed the first implantation in the UK of the new hi-tech Kora 100 pacing system.

The system, produced by medical technology company Sorin, is compatible with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and allows implanted patients to undergo MRI scans safely and easily.

It is the world’s smallest system and lasts longer than any others in its class.

It also has the added benefit of being able to automatically screen patients for sever sleep apnoea.

Dr Edwards carried out the first implant of the system on a 52-year-old patient at Dorset County Hospital.

He said: “The patient was a relatively young man, likely to require several pacemaker changes in his lifetime and with a high probability that he will need MRI scans at some point in the future.

“The Kora 100 system will enable him to undergo MRI scans safely and with minimal fuss. “The longevity of the device will reduce the number of pacemaker changes and the size of the device was appreciated by the patient.”