Doctors save Smithtown woman's life with miniature pacemaker

<p>Doctors at Northwell Hospital in Manhasset were save a Smithtown woman's life with a one-of-a-kind miniature pacemaker.&nbsp;</p>

News 12 Staff

Jun 29, 2017, 7:52 PM

Updated 2,652 days ago

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A Smithtown grandmother celebrated her 45th wedding anniversary Thursday, thanks to a lifesaving procedure at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset.
Dolores Martins, 65, has struggled with various medical issues for the past 30 years, including kidney failure that requires dialysis, thyroid cancer and open heart surgery.
A few months ago, Martin found out she needed a pacemaker, but due to her health complications could not use a traditional device.
Dr. Apoor Patel came up with a solution that would give Martins a new type of pacemaker called a micra pacemaker. Instead of going through the veins in the chest, the pacemaker was threaded up through Martin’s leg and implanted directly onto her heart muscle.
The procedure was performed in April. On Thursday Delores and her husband Carlos celebrated their 45th wedding anniversary with their two daughters and six grandchildren by their side.
Martins says she and her husband are planning on going out to a fancy dinner for their anniversary with friends on Saturday night.