Engineers at Northwestern University have created an incredibly small, dissolvable pacemaker that can be injected into the body via a syringe. This device is particularly beneficial for newborns suffering from congenital heart defects and is less invasive than traditional pacemakers. It pairs with a flexible, wireless wearable that detects heart irregularities and activates the pacemaker with light pulses. The device naturally dissolves post-use, eliminating the need for surgical removal, and has been tested successfully in both animal models and human hearts from organ donors.
We have developed what is, to our knowledge, the world's smallest pacemaker. There's a crucial need for temporary pacemakers in pediatric heart surgeries, and that's a use case where size miniaturization is incredibly important.
Our major motivation was children. About 1 percent of children are born with congenital heart defects, and this smaller device is particularly well-suited to their fragile hearts.
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