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BEIJING, April 24 – Scientists unveiled yesterday a battery-free pacemaker that draws its energy from the heartbeat of pigs, which could pave the way for an "implant for life" in humans with heart defects.
Millions of patients rely on pacemakers – small electrical implants in the chest of the abdomen – to regulate their heartbeat after a chronic or acute illness.
Even with the latest technological advances, pacemaker batteries can be stiff or bulky and may require replacement several times during the life of a device.
Energy recuperators, which generate electricity from impulses sent by the body, have been shown to be effective in recent years, but only in small animals such as rats, as well as in animals. low energy consumption cell models.
Researchers in China and the United States now believe that they have successfully tested an autonomous pacemaker in adult pigs, a remarkably physiologically similar animal to humans.
The selected animals had an irregular heart rhythm similar to that of patients with a human pacemaker.
The team has developed an implantable generator that rests on the surface of the heart and bends at each heartbeat, thereby generating electricity from kinetic energy.
"(The pacemaker) has been fully implanted in adult pigs and all the energy needed for cardiac stimulation is recovered from the throbbing energy of the same animal," AFP said. Zhou Li, of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and senior author of the study.
When they turned on the devices, they found that the irregular heartbeat of the pigs was corrected.
In addition, the energy retained by each heartbeat has proven to be greater than the energy requirements of most current pacemakers, allowing patients to have a permanent power source for their implants.
"It could be an" implant for life, "Zhou said. "This is our goal and the ultimate goal of field research."
However, the team stressed the need for further work to determine the long-term safety and durability of devices before human versions can be developed.
Mr Zhou said that autonomous power technology could also have a range of applications in areas such as self-charging devices and "smart" clothes.
Tim Chico, professor of cardiovascular medicine and honorary consultant in cardiology at the University of Sheffield, who did not participate in the research, described the experience as "very encouraging".
"This study was conducted on pigs whose hearts are the same size as humans and are therefore often used to test devices or treatments before they are used in humans," did he declare.
The study was published in the journal Nature Communications. – AFP-Relaxnews
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