Representative illustration. Traditional temporary pacemakers require invasive open heart or endovascular surgery for implantation and removal. |Picture source: Getty Images/Istockphoto
Scientists at Northwestern University have designed a pacemaker smaller than rice. The device’s manufacturer says it can be implanted in non-invasive processes and does not require an external power supply to operate.
The device opens up the possibility of replacing other more troublesome medical procedures, especially for babies with congenital heart disease and those recovering from heart surgery.
The team published a paper nature April 2.
People who have just undergone heart surgery need temporary pacemakers – babies with congenital heart disease. Both groups tend to reduce heart health and slow heart rate over a period of time.
The biggest highlight of the new device is that it is small in size – so small that developers say it can be injected into the heart simply. Although scientists at the University of Oklahoma have previously built a small pacemaker, new proposals from Northwestern University have been reported to be 2.5 times smaller.
Traditional temporary pacemakers require invasive open heart or endovascular surgery for implantation and removal.
During four to seven days when a pacemaker is required, the electrodes in larger devices must also be integrated with the tissue to remove them as a non-trivial procedure for the patient. In fact, the procedure is known to increase the risk of infection, internal bleeding and even death.
The new equipment is made of absorbable materials, meaning that after the necessary duration, the pacemaker simply needs to dissolve into the tissue without causing harm to the person.
Its multiple functional layers have two electrodes at the bottom. They interact with the body’s fluids to convert chemical energy into electrical energy, such as the action of a car battery, but at a smaller scale. This is its power supply.
Once the pacemaker is injected into the body, the patient wears a plaque on the outside of the chest, delivering the signal to the device. If the plaque detects any irregularity in the heart rate, the LED attached to the speed its heart should beat will flash infrared light. The pacemaker receives these optical signals and adjusts their signals.
Infrared light can easily pass through the body – for example, light pulse oximeters use the same wavelength, for example, to clarify blood oxygen levels.
According to their paper, the researchers measured the delay between the flash and adjustment to 25 microseconds, “far beyond the requirement of cardiac pacing.”
Many small pacemakers can be placed along the walls of the heart to help the organs with multiple points, the researchers said.
They were able to test and confirm the usefulness of the device in adult dogs, rats and pigs, as well as donors.
Navaneeth Krishna V. is an undergraduate graduate student at Iiser Pune.
publishing – April 22, 2025 at 06:00 am IST
