Close X
Monday, September 23, 2024
ADVT 
Health

World's first battery-less pacemaker in the works

Darpan News Desk IANS, 01 Sep, 2014 07:40 AM
    In a revolutionary breakthrough for heart patients, scientists have come up with a way to power a cardiac pacemaker with an alternative energy source - the heart motion.
     
    This new type of cardiac pacemaker is based on a commercially available, automatic wristwatch and does not require battery replacement.
     
    "The heart seems to be a very promising energy source because its contractions are repetitive and present for 24 hours a day, seven days a week," said Adrian Zurbuchen, a PhD candidate from the cardio-vascular engineering group in the University of Bern, Switzerland.
     
    To test the watch, researchers developed an electronic circuit to transform and store the signal into a small buffer capacity.
     
    They then connected the system to a custom-made cardiac pacemaker.
     
    The system worked in three steps. First, the watch acquired energy from the heart.
     
    Second, the energy was temporarily stored in the buffer capacity.
     
    And finally, the buffered energy was used by the pacemaker to apply minute stimuli to the heart.
     
    The researchers successfully tested the system in experiments with domestic pigs.
     
    The energy harvesting system has the potential to avoid both disadvantages by providing the world with a battery-less and lead-less pacemaker.
     
    The next step is to integrate both the electronic circuit for energy storage and the custom-made pacemaker directly into the harvesting device.
     
    "This will eliminate the need for leads," he concluded.
     
    Zurbuchen presented the findings at the ongoing European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress, 2014 in Barcelona, Spain.

    MORE Health ARTICLES

    What? Violent video games promote good behaviour in real life!

    What? Violent video games promote good behaviour in real life!
    Here comes a shocker. Contrary to popular perception that playing violent video games makes people aggressive, a new study says playing such games may actually lead to increased moral sensitivity and pro-social behaviour in real life.

    What? Violent video games promote good behaviour in real life!

    Ladies! Postpone motherhood to live long!

    Ladies! Postpone motherhood to live long!
    Career women who postpone motherhood have reason to cheer as researchers have found that women who have babies later in life are likely to live longer.

    Ladies! Postpone motherhood to live long!

    Poor sleep may affect brain function as you age

    Poor sleep may affect brain function as you age
    Sleep problems are associated with worse memory and executive functions in older people, says a study.

    Poor sleep may affect brain function as you age

    Believe it or not, It's now illegal in some places to be an annoying person

    Believe it or not, It's now illegal in some places to be an annoying person
    Every day, I spring out of bed at six in the morning intending to spread sweetness and light all day. And then the idiots happen.

    Believe it or not, It's now illegal in some places to be an annoying person

    Indoor tanning ups skin cancer risk

    Indoor tanning ups skin cancer risk
    The ultraviolet (UV) radiation lamps used for indoor tanning put adolescents and young adults at risk for basal cell carcinomas (BCC), the most common form of skin cancer, says a study.

    Indoor tanning ups skin cancer risk

    Midwifery matters more than we realise

    Midwifery matters more than we realise
    Experts have urged global leaders through a series in a science journal to recognise midwifery's potential to save the lives of women and infants worldwide.

    Midwifery matters more than we realise