Communications of the ACM
Scientists Develop Wireless Pacemaker That Dissolves in Body
The tennis racket-shaped pacemaker would cost about $100, researchers said.
Credit: Northwestern University
Researchers have developed a battery-free pacemaker that can be implanted directly on to the surface of the heart and absorbed by the body when no longer needed. The device is free of leads and can be controlled and programmed from outside the body.
The work is described in "Fully Implantable and Bioresorbable Cardiac Pacemakers Without Leads or Batteries," published in Nature Biotechnology.
The researchers made the thin, flexible device, which could be the basis of postoperative temporary pacing technology, from materials which are compatible with the body but which undergo chemical reactions that allow them to dissolve and be absorbed over time.
The device was trialed in hearts from mice and rabbits, as well as slices of human heart and within live dogs and rats. The work in dogs shows the system could generate the power transfer necessary for the device to be used in adult humans, the team said.
From The Guardian
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