Revolutionizing Tiny Hearts: Groundbreaking Pacemaker Paves Way for Unprecedented Cures

The world’s smallest pacemaker is injectable and powered by light

Engineers at Northwestern University have made a groundbreaking innovation in the field of medicine with the development of the world’s smallest pacemaker. This revolutionary device measures just one millimeter in thickness, making it small enough to be injected directly into the heart through a syringe.

The new pacemaker is designed for short-term use only, and once its work is done, it safely dissolves into the bloodstream, eliminating the need for painful surgical removal. Its primary focus is on pediatric care, as it can provide temporary pacing after surgery in newborns born with congenital heart defects.

According to Northwestern University’s Igor Efimov, experimental cardiologist and co-leader of the study, this device could be a game-changer for those children who require temporary pacing after a surgical procedure. “In about seven days or so, most patients’ hearts will self-repair,” Efimov explains. “But those seven days are absolutely critical. Now, we can place this tiny pacemaker on a child’s heart and stimulate it with a soft, gentle, wearable device. And no additional surgery is necessary to remove it.”

The pacemaker is powered by light, which provides stimulation when an irregular heartbeat is detected by the wireless wearable device mounted on the patient’s chest. These light pulses can penetrate through skin, bones, and muscles, making it a non-invasive and highly effective solution.

Despite its small size, this new technology delivers the same level of stimulation as a full-sized pacemaker, but with the added benefit of temporary use only. This means that patients will no longer need to undergo surgical removal once the device has completed its task.

John Rogers, co-leader of the study and renowned biomedical engineer, envisions a future where these injectable pacemakers can be used in conjunction with other implantable devices to create a sophisticated synchronization system. This could potentially lead to innovative treatments for various conditions, including arrhythmias, nerve healing, wound treatment, and pain blockage.

The potential implications of this technology are vast and far-reaching, offering a new avenue of medical intervention that is both minimally invasive and highly effective.

Source: https://www.engadget.com/science/the-worlds-smallest-pacemaker-is-injectable-and-powered-by-light-153302491.html?src=rss