Injectable pacemaker regulates heartbeat for 5 days then dissolves

Amazing stuff! Almost mind blowing! Though, it has not yet been tested on humans.

"... It’s essentially a syringe with an ultrathin needle – thinner than a human hair – that injects a solution containing nanoparticles. When this comes into contact with tissue, it forms an electrically conductive polymer hydrogel.

The idea is that when needed, this can be injected into the chest of a patient with arrhythmia, where it forms a kind of electrode around the heart. The tiny pinprick site of the injection acts as a point of contact for an external device, such as a mobile phone, the team says. This allows ECG measurements to be taken, as well as stimulating the heart with low-power electricity to regulate the heartbeat. ..."

From the abstract:

"Without intervention, cardiac arrhythmias pose a risk of fatality. However, timely intervention can be challenging in environments where transporting a large, heavy defibrillator is impractical, or emergency surgery to implant cardiac stimulation devices is not feasible. Here, we introduce an injectable cardiac stimulator, a syringe loaded with a nanoparticle solution comprising a conductive polymer and a monomer that, upon injection, forms a conductive structure around the heart for cardiac stimulation. Following treatment, the electrode is cleared from the body, eliminating the need for surgical extraction. The mixture adheres to the beating heart in vivo without disrupting its normal rhythm. The electrofunctionalized injectable cardiac stimulator demonstrates a tissue-compatible Young’s modulus of 21 kPa and a high conductivity of 55 S/cm. The injected electrode facilitates electrocardiogram measurements, regulates heartbeat in vivo, and rectifies arrhythmia. Conductive functionality is maintained for five consecutive days, and no toxicity is observed at the organism, organ, or cellular levels."

Injectable pacemaker regulates heartbeat for 5 days then dissolves "A new injectable, temporary pacemaker could help correct a heart arrhythmia in an emergency. This nanoparticle gel can regulate the heart’s electrical signals for up to five days before dissolving harmlessly in the body."

Injectable heart stimulator for emergency situations (original news release) "By injecting a solution of nanoparticles around the heart, a temporary heart stimulator self-assembles, which can correct heart arrhythmia in emergency situations with the help of an external power source. After treatment, the electrode spontaneously disappears from the body. The study was conducted on animals."

In situ assembly of an injectable cardiac stimulator (open access)

In animal studies, researchers have developed an injectable cardiac stimulator for emergency situations. The illustration shows how the injectable heart stimulator is supposed to work when fully developed and tested.

Fig. 4: eBICS is resorbed after 7 days and can be applied to larger animals.