Denver man receives pacemaker using new technology

A Denver man is thanking the doctors at Denver Health after years of care for a heart condition. 

Bennie Milliner didn't think he'd be here today. He flatlined following a stent replacement in his heart back in 2018. It's a moment he'll never forget.

"The next thing I remember is all these people around me and lights and noise, and I just realized that I was over it," said Milliner.

"I was just watching the scene, and I was then I looked out and it was like- just like a silvery atmosphere. I couldn't feel my body. God, it was so peaceful. And then I saw this light, and I was thinking, 'oh man, this is it, you know?' And then I heard somebody say, 'we got a pulse,' and I kind of jumped," he said.

Doctors at Denver Health were able to get Milliner's heart pumping again after working for over 30 minutes. It's something he'll forever be grateful for and literally holds close to his heart through a tattoo on his left arm. 

"It says '2-12-18 2nd chance,' and that's the meaning of the tattoo," he said.

Seven years later, Milliner is back at Denver Health. 

"At least a couple of times a month, his heart would stop beating for anywhere from about three to eight to 10 seconds sometimes," Denver Health cardiologist Christopher Barrett said.

That led Milliner to get a pacemaker implanted in his heart earlier this month.

"If it detects that the heart has stopped beating or it's not beating quickly enough, it's going to deliver a small electrical impulse that's too small to feel, but it's large enough to make the heart know it needs to beat," said Barrett. 

The pacemaker he has is a new technology, something called a "leadless pacemaker," that goes completely inside the chest with no wire. According to the manufacturer, Medtronic, it's 93% smaller than a traditional device.

"It's deployed and released within the heart, grabs onto the tissue, and it stays in there forever," Barrett said. "That capsule has no leads, no generator. It's very inconspicuous, and it's completely self-contained in the heart."

Once again, Milliner has a new lease on life thanks to Denver Health, and an appreciation for the doctors, nurses and staff who have helped.

"I watch what they do, and it's the care and concern all the time," said Milliner. "It's just incredible."