News

Pacemakers are life-changing devices that help people with heart disease live longer and improve their quality of life. However, despite major advances in technology, many pacemakers are still left on standard factory settings rather than being tailored to the individual needs of patients. Researchers at the NIHR Clinical Research Facility (CRF) Leeds have been leading pioneering work to show how a more personalised approach to pacemaker care can improve patient outcomes, reduce hospital admissions and deliver better value for the NHS. Through a series of NIHR-supported studies, the team has helped change the way pacemaker patients are cared for locally, nationally and internationally.

Our Goal

More than 300,000 people in the UK live with a pacemaker, with around 36,000 new devices implanted every year. Researchers wanted to better understand whether personalising pacemaker settings and combining device expertise with heart failure care could improve patients’ health and quality of life. The team also recognised that symptoms such as breathlessness and tiredness in people with pacemakers are often wrongly attributed to ageing or existing heart disease, meaning heart failure can sometimes go undiagnosed and untreated.

Our Approach

Through a series of NIHR-supported clinical trials led from the NIHR Leeds CRF, researchers explored how personalised pacemaker programming and joined-up care could improve outcomes for people living with pacemakers.

The research showed that carefully adjusting pacemaker settings to suit each individual patient could:

• Improve heart function
• Reduce unnecessary pacing of the heart
• Extend pacemaker battery life
• Reduce the need for replacement surgery
• Improve exercise capacity and quality of life

One major study involving 1,800 patients across West Yorkshire found that around one-third of people with pacemakers had previously undiagnosed heart failure.

In response, the team developed a new multidisciplinary Combined Heart Failure and Device Clinic at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, bringing together experts in pacemakers and heart failure treatment in one service.

The clinic is staffed by highly trained cardiac physiologists and nurses and now supports more than 300 patients each year.

Real World Impact

The work also helped develop a highly skilled and diverse research workforce, including NIHR-funded clinical researchers, cardiac physiologists and clinicians.

The research has already changed care for patients in Leeds and is influencing practice internationally.

The personalised approach developed through the NIHR Leeds CRF has now been embedded into routine NHS care at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust through the Combined Heart Failure and Device Clinic.

Patients are receiving more tailored treatment, helping reduce hospital admissions and improving long-term outcomes.

The work has also contributed to international heart failure and pacemaker guidelines in Canada, America and Europe, helping shape care for people with pacemakers around the world.

Importantly, the research demonstrates how personalised care can improve outcomes while also reducing pressure on the NHS by preventing complications and avoiding unnecessary procedures.

What’s Next

Researchers at NIHR Leeds CRF continue to lead new studies exploring how personalised pacemaker programming can further improve care for people with heart disease.

Upcoming research includes:

• Exploring new pacemaker lead positions and their effect on heart function
• Developing simpler ways to personalise heart-rate settings
• Expanding studies across multiple NHS centres
• Investigating how personalised programming could benefit people with less severe heart failure

The team is also continuing work to increase awareness and education around personalised pacemaker care through international guideline groups, professional societies and training programmes.

This work would not have been possible without the support of NIHR infrastructure at the NIHR Leeds CRF, helping turn research into real improvements for patients, healthcare services and society.

Two members of our young research group, the Leeds Young Research Owls have been successfully accepted into universities to study medicine and train to be doctors.

The Leeds Young Research Owls (LYRO) group, funded by NIHR Clinical Research Facility, aims to inspire the next generation of researchers by providing young people with opportunities to learn about the medical research process through the Trust’s extensive research portfolio.

This provides a way to reach younger people and inspire them to become involved and engage with medical science and clinical research, preparing the next generation of researchers.

Owls alumni Oliver Barrie and Henry Neligan have both gained places at medical school, a remarkable achievement that reflects their dedication and the valuable experience gained through the group.

Henry (pictured), who is now studying at Newcastle University said: “The Owls and the medical research we took part in was a piece of my inspiration to become a doctor.  I am just so grateful for all the help the Owls has given me!”

Oliver, who is attending Hull York Medical School, added: “I included some of my experiences with LYRO on my personal statement and I also discussed the brilliant insight it gave me into medicine as a whole, and medical research at my interviews. Without the meetings with the Owls, I wouldn’t have had the unique experiences to talk about throughout my application process.”

LYRO now has a proven track record of helping foster the clinicians of the future, with five previous members successfully accepted to medical school to train as doctors.

With a growing legacy of success, LYRO continues to empower young people to pursue careers in medicine and research, fostering the skills and experiences that help shape the future of healthcare. We are incredibly proud of Oliver, Henry, and all our alumni who are making a difference in the medical field.