Improvedbatteriesalso led to a beefed-up version of a pacemaker that could restart the heart, and correctirregularordangerously fastheartbeats, when necessary.
At a news conference at the Vatican, Father Lombardi confirmed that the batteries in the pacemaker, which had been fitted several years ago, had been replaced in the routine operation.
Earlier this week, the Vatican said for the first time that Pope Benedict had a pacemaker, and that he had undergone surgery to replace the batteries three months ago.