St. Jude Gets European Approval For Wireless Pacemaker

ST. PAUL (AP) - A first-of-its-kind wireless pacemaker will soon be on its way to market in Europe, but not the U.S.

St. Jude Medical says it will announce Monday that it received European approval to market the device.

The device was developed by California-based startup, Nanostim, with funding from St. Jude. The Minnesota-based device giant also said it would acquire the smaller company for $123 million.

Pacemakers help the heart maintain a steady heartbeat. The traditional surgical procedure creates a small pocket in the chest for the device and its wires, which attach to the heart.

The new Nanostim pacemaker is implanted directly into the heart using a less intensive, catheter-based procedure.

St. Jude is still conducting required studies of the device in the U.S.

St. Jude has been plagued in recent years by recalls of lead wires with its other leading product, defibrillators, which correct dangerous irregular heartbeats.