A wireless, dissolving pacemaker
<p>US researchers have developed a wireless, temporary pacemaker that dissolves harmlessly within the body when it’s no longer required.</p>
<p>Having previously developed a <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/technology/self-powered-pacemaker-works-heartbeat/" target="_blank">self-powered pacemaker</a>that uses heartbeats as energy, the team has become interested in transient electronics, allowing cardiac patients to dodge riskier surgical procedures.</p>
<p>“Sometimes patients only need pacemakers temporarily, perhaps after an open-heart surgery, heart attack or drug overdose,” says Rishi Arora, a cardiologist at Northwestern University, US, and co-author on a paper describing the research, <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41587-021-00948-x" target="_blank">published</a> in <em>Nature Biotechnology.</em></p>
<p>“After the patient’s heart is stabilised, we can remove the pacemaker. The current standard of care involves inserting a wire, which stays in place for three to seven days. These have potential to become infected or dislodged.”</p>
<p>Arora and colleagues addressed this by creating a biodegradable device, around 15 millimetres in length and width, and 0.25 millimetres thick, from a range of materials, including tungsten-coated magnesium, silicon nanomembranes and Candelilla wax. All the components are ‘bioresorbable’ – they can dissolve and be processed harmlessly by the body.</p>
<p>The device is powered by an antenna that sits outside the body, using near-field communication protocols (the same technology used for contactless payments), eliminating the need for batteries or wires and making it easier to implant.</p>
<p>“The circuitry is implanted directly on the surface of the heart, and we can activate it remotely,” says Arora.</p>
<p>“Over a period of weeks, this new type of pacemaker ‘dissolves’ or degrades on its own, thereby avoiding the need for physical removal of the pacemaker electrodes. This is potentially a major victory for post-operative patients.”</p>
<p>The thickness and length of the device can be modified to make it last for different periods of time, depending on the patients’ requirements.</p>
<p>The researchers have successfully tested the device in mice, rabbits, rats and dogs, as well as human heart tissue.</p>
<p>“The transient electronics platform opens an entirely new chapter in medicine and biomedical research,” says Igor Efimov, a researcher at George Washington University, US, and co-author on the paper.</p>
<p>“The bioresorbable materials at the foundation of this technology make it possible to create a whole host of diagnostic and therapeutic transient devices for monitoring progression of diseases and therapies, delivering electrical, pharmacological, cell therapies, gene reprogramming and more.”</p>
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<em>This article was originally published on <a rel="noopener" href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/health/a-wireless-dissolving-pacemaker/" target="_blank">cosmosmagazine.com</a> and was written by Ellen Phiddian.</em></div>
