PHOENIX (Jan. 12, 2026) -- Banner Health has become the first health system in the western United States and one of the first in the country to implant the OmniaSecure defibrillation lead, the smallest device of its kind on the market, offering new hope and enhanced safety for patients who need protection from life-threatening heart rhythms.
For the thousands of people living with the risk of sudden cardiac arrest, this breakthrough represents a safe and reliable heart protection technology designed to minimize potential complications down the road. The OmniaSecure lead, a thin wire that connects to an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) or cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillator (CRT-D), measures just 1.6 millimeters in diameter, making it the smallest defibrillation lead now available. An ICD is like a personal guardian for your heart, constantly watching your heartbeat and ready to deliver life-saving electrical therapy the moment a dangerous rhythm is detected. The lead is the vital connection that makes this protection possible, and now, thanks to innovative engineering, that connection is smaller, more precise, and designed with patient safety at the forefront.
"This smaller lead represents a meaningful step forward in how we protect our patients and is the first of its kind to be able to provide pacing delivered into the native conduction system-which is termed physiological pacing," said Roderick Tung, MD, director of Banner – University Medicine Heart Institute and division chief of cardiology at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix. "Artificial pacemakers negatively impact the synchronization of the heart and this lead has the ability to maintain the natural impulse and deliver life-saving shocks with a single miniaturized lead technology. Essentially, this lead can provide two functions in one, which is great for patients as multiple leads increases the chances of obstruction of blood flow and valve leakage.”
The OmniaSecure lead is FDA approved for placement in traditional locations in the right ventricle and is also the first defibrillator lead FDA approved for both adults and adolescent patients ages 12 and up, opening doors for younger patients who previously had fewer options.
As one of the first health systems in the United States to offer this technology, Banner Health continues to lead the way in bringing tomorrow's innovations to patients today, ensuring that people in Arizona and across the West have access to the most advanced cardiac care available anywhere in the country.
About Banner Health
Banner Health is one of the largest nonprofit health care systems in the country and a leader in provider-sponsored health insurance serving 3.5 million people annually across six states. With 32 hospitals and more than 450 additional care sites, Banner’s array of services includes a health insurance division, employed physician groups, outpatient surgery centers, urgent care locations, home care and hospice services, retail pharmacies, stand-alone imaging centers, physical therapy and rehabilitation, behavioral health services, a research division, and a nursing registry. Through its longstanding, innovative relationship with the University of Arizona, Banner’s academic medicine division provides ground-breaking clinical discoveries, advanced life-saving care and educates 1,300 physicians annually. Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center, a partnership with one of the world’s leading cancer programs, MD Anderson Cancer Center treats more than 103,000 patients a year. Banner Plans and Networks offers Medicare, Medicaid, and commercial health coverage to more than 1.2 million members. In 2024, Banner Health provided $1 billion worth of community benefits to assist those in need through a range of programs. Headquartered in Arizona, Banner Health also has locations in California, Colorado, Nebraska, Nevada, and Wyoming. For more information, visit bannerhealth.com.
Image courtesy of Medtronic
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