"I want to live," the 57-year-old patient said before the procedure. "I know it's a shot in the dark, but it's my last choice.”

The devices have been associated with a risk of breaking during use. 

“Robotics is, in all likelihood, the future of interventional cardiology," one specialist said. Full study results are expected in May.

These findings, the authors wrote, should help inform the decision-making process when different treatment options are being considered. 

Researchers evaluated data from four different studies, sharing their results in the American Journal of Cardiology.

"All physicians who perform CIED procedures and care for these patients should be aware of the risk of persistent opioid use,” one specialist said. 

The study's authors hope that “just in case” prescriptions can become a thing of the past. 

The findings suggest that obesity may be a modifiable risk factor for the severity of COVID-19 infection, experts detailed in JAMA Surgery.