The world’s smallest pacemaker has been created in the US – it gets its nutrition directly from the body and dissolves over time

Scientists from Northwestern University in the United States have presented the world’s smallest pacemaker — its size is comparable to a grain of rice. The device is designed to be inserted into the body using a syringe injection, without surgical intervention. The electrolyte for the battery that powers the device is the body’s biological fluid, and control is carried out using infrared light, which easily penetrates human tissue. Everything is simple and safe.

Image source: Northwestern University

The injection pacemaker was developed primarily for children born with heart defects. In the first months of life, such patients require pacemakers, which is usually associated with costs and the need for surgical intervention. The device presented by scientists solves many problems associated with maintaining the lives of young patients.

The device is powered by a built-in galvanic element. The intercellular fluid in the human body acts as an electrolyte. Although its chemical composition differs from that of a conventional battery, the operating principle is the same: the electrolyte transfers ions from one pole of the element to another, creating an electric current.

The pacemaker accumulates a charge and starts stimulating the heart when a signal is given. The command and rhythm are set by an external device attached to the patient’s skin using a patch. Control is carried out by an infrared LED: its flashes are detected by the pacemaker’s sensor, after which the device generates pulses to stimulate the heart. It is possible to use several such pacemakers simultaneously, each of which will respond to light signals of a certain wavelength. This allows, for example, to correct cardiac arrhythmia.

Over time, the pacemaker is absorbed by the body, eliminating the need to remove it after the work is completed. This significantly reduces the trauma of the procedure both during installation and after the end of the device’s service life.