Northwestern University engineers have innovated a groundbreaking pacemaker, so small that it can fit inside the tip of a syringe, allowing it to be injected into the body intrusively.
While it’s capable of working with hearts of any size, this device is especially designed for the fragile hearts of newborns who have inborn heart defects. Smaller than a grain of rice, the pacemaker is controlled by a flexible, wireless device that attaches to a patient’s chest.
When the wearable device detects an unusual heartbeat, it mechanically lights a pulse that goes through the patient’s skin, breastbone, and muscles to activate the pacemaker. This device is designed for patients who only require temporary pacing. After it has served its purpose, the pacemaker’s components naturally dissolve into the body’s biofluids, cutting out the need for surgical extraction.
The pacemaker has also shown great potential in animal and heart models. Researchers believe that it could be used for other applications that require electrical stimulation, such as in the brain.
While further studies are intended, creations like this make way for new possibilities. For instance, cardiologists will be able to use multiple pacemakers at once, allowing them to control specific areas of the heart with high precision.
With its rice-sized composition, this revolutionary pacemaker enables a life-saving aid for infants and patients with complex heart conditions. Its ability to identify and restore irregular heartbeats with total accuracy is the kind of breakthrough we didn’t imagine was essential.
