Battery-free, light-powered pacemakers may help improve quality of life for heart disease patients. The devices, which are powered by a tiny solar cell and a light-emitting diode (LED), could one day offer an alternative to traditional pacemakers, which require surgery to implant and carry the risk of infection and battery failure.
In a small study, published in the journal JACC: Basic to Translational Science, researchers tested the feasibility of using the new type of pacemaker in four pigs. They found that the devices were able to pace the heart at a variety of rates, depending on the amount of light exposure.
The results suggest that the devices could one day be used to help manage heart arrhythmias, or abnormal heart rhythms, in humans.
“This is a very early study, but the results are encouraging,” said study author Dr. Daniel Cantillon, a cardiologist at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. “This technology has the potential to revolutionize the way we treat heart arrhythmias.”
Traditional pacemakers require surgery to implant, and they need to be replaced every five to seven years as the batteries wears down. The new devices are powered by a small solar cell and an LED, which are both implanted under the skin.
The solar cell captures energy from ambient light, and the LED emits light that is converted into electrical energy, which is used to pace the heart.
In the study, the researchers tested the devices in four pigs. They found that the devices were able to pace the heart at a variety of rates, depending on the amount of light exposure.
The results suggest that the devices could one day be used to help manage heart arrhythmias, or abnormal heart rhythms, in humans.
“This is a very early study, but the results are encouraging,” said study author Dr. Daniel Cantillon, a cardiologist at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. “This technology has the potential to revolutionize the way we treat heart arrhythmias.”
The new pacemakers are still in the early stages of development, and more research is needed to determine their long-term safety and efficacy. But the findings suggest that they could one day offer a less invasive and more convenient option for heart disease patients.
battery-free, light-powered pacemaker may improve quality of life for heart disease patients
oday, there are more than 700,000 Americans living with implanted pacemakers to help regulate their heartbeat. While most pacemakers rely on batteries, which will eventually need to be replaced, a new generation of battery-free pacemakers is being developed that could offer a more reliable and longer-lasting solution.
One such pacemaker, the Nano Pacemaker, is powered by light. It was developed by a team of engineers at Stanford University and includes a photovoltaic cell that converts light into electrical energy. This energy is then used to charge a capacitor, which in turn powers the pacemaker.
The Nano Pacemaker is still in the early stages of development, but the team is hopeful that it will one day be able to provide a more reliable and longer-lasting solution for heart disease patients. In addition, the Nano Pacemaker could also be used to power other implantable devices, such as defibrillators.
Currently, battery-powered pacemakers typically last between five and seven years before needing to be replaced. However, the Nano Pacemaker has the potential to last much longer, potentially reducing the number of surgeries that patients need to undergo.
The development of the Nano Pacemaker is still in its early stages, but it has the potential to greatly improve the quality of life for heart disease patients. Battery-free and powered by light, the Nano Pacemaker could provide a more reliable and longer-lasting solution, which would greatly reduce the number of surgeries and hospital visits required.
