MASSDEVICE ON CALL — University of Michigan engineers believe they have developed a battery system that can power a pacemaker or other implantable cardiac device using the electrical energy generated by a beating heart.
In lab experiments using a prototype system and a heartbeat simulator, the device generated far more than enough power to support a modern pacemaker, according to a press release.
The researchers hope to incorporate their technology into commercial pacemakers, but have a ways yet to go. The next step involves implanting the so-called "energy harvester."
If successful, the power system could replace existing pacemaker batteries, which require replacement every 5-to-7 years.
"Many of the patients are children who live with pacemakers for many years," lead author M. Amin Karami said in prepared remarks. "You can imagine how many operations they are spared if this new technology is implemented."
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