Northwell’s Mather Hospital proudly announced that physicians John Catanzaro, MD, MBA, FHRS and Eric A. Pagan, MD, successfully implanted the AVEIR™ DR Dual Chamber LP System, the world’s first dual chamber leadless pacemaker system. The AVEIR DR system is designed for patients with sinus node dysfunction and AV block who require pacing support for slow or interrupted heart rhythms. Approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in June 2023, the system represents a significant advancement in cardiac pacing technology.
The AVEIR DR system is made up of two devices, each roughly one-tenth the size of a traditional pacemaker, which are implanted directly into the heart through a minimally invasive procedure. Once placed in the right ventricle and right atrium, the two devices then communicate with each other through implant-to-implant (i2i™) technology to synchronize pacing across the two chambers of the heart. As a result, patients have reduced exposure to potential lead and pocket-related complications, and benefit from a less restrictive and shorter recovery period post-implantation.
For our community, this milestone means access to world-class cardiac technology close to home. Cardiac arrhythmia disproportionately affects older adults, a growing segment of the local population, and nearly 80% of people who receive a pacemaker need a dual chamber option to pace both chambers of the heart (Mond & Proclemer, 2011).
“At Mather Hospital, our priority is always to provide the most advanced and safest care for our patients,” said John Catanzaro, MD, MBA, FHRS, Chairman of Cardiology at Mather Hospital. “This innovative leadless technology reduces exposure to the potential complications associated with traditional leads and surgical pockets, offering a truly minimally invasive approach that translates into faster recovery and improved patient experience. We are incredibly proud to bring this cutting-edge solution to our community, enhancing the quality of life for so many.”
This advancement is particularly exciting given its streamlined implantation process. This system of two full-functioning pacemakers, each no larger than a pen cap, is delivered through a minimally invasive procedure, typically via a vein in the groin, eliminating the need for a traditional pocket in the chest. This technologically advanced approach represents a significant first for Mather Hospital, representing our commitment to bringing the most advanced and patient-friendly cardiac solutions to our community.
About Mather Hospital
Mather Hospital is an accredited 249-bed, non-profit community teaching hospital dedicated to providing a wide spectrum of high-quality healthcare services to Suffolk County residents, showing compassion, respect and treating each patient in the manner we would wish for our loved ones. Mather received its fourth top five-star rating from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for outcomes, patient experience and process and the prestigious Magnet® recognition three times from the American Nurses Credentialing Center for quality patient care, nursing excellence and innovations in professional nursing practice. The hospital was rated high performing by U.S. News & World Report 2025-2026 Best Hospitals rankings in two medical specialties of gastroenterology and GI surgery and pulmonology and lung surgery, and for congestive heart failure, kidney failure, and pneumonia. Mather also was named one of America’s 250 best hospitals for 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026 by Healthgrades and in 2026 received Healthgrades’ Outstanding Patient Experience Award™ for the sixth consecutive year. Our Graduate Medical Education program prepares physicians for future careers through Internal Medicine, Transitional Year, Diagnostic Radiology, Interventional Radiology, Psychiatry and Pharmacy residency programs and gastroenterology and hematology/oncology fellowships. For information about Mather Hospital, visit matherhospital.org or follow us @MatherHospital on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
About Northwell Health
Northwell is the largest not-for-profit health system in the Northeast, serving residents of New York and Connecticut with 28 hospitals, more than 1,000 outpatient facilities, 22,000 nurses and over 20,000 physicians. Northwell cares for more than three million people annually in the New York metro area, including Long Island, the Hudson Valley, western Connecticut and beyond, thanks to philanthropic support from our communities. Northwell is New York State’s largest private employer with over 104,000 employees – including members of Northwell Health Physician Partners and Nuvance Health Medical Practices – who are working to change health care for the better. Northwell, named a TIME100 Most Influential Companies 2025, is making breakthroughs in medicine at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research. Northwell is training the next generation of medical professionals at the visionary Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell and the Hofstra Northwell School of Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies. For information on our more than 100 medical specialties, visit Northwell.edu and follow us @NorthwellHealth on Facebook, X, Instagram and LinkedIn.
Resource:
Mond Harry, Proclemer A. The 11th world survey of cardiac pacing and implantable cardioverter defibrillators; calendar year 2009 – a world society of arrhythmia’s project. PACE. August 2011; 34 (8): 1013-1027