Scientists just unveiled the world’s tiniest pacemaker. Smaller than a grain of rice and controlled by light shone through the skin, the pacemaker generates power and squeezes the heart’s muscles after injection through a stint.
Conventional devices require invasive open-heart surgery or less invasive endovascular surgery, both of which are challenging for patients.
Although jam-packed with hardware, the final implant is roughly the size of a sesame seed. It is more than 23 times smaller than any bioresorbable alternative.
A Bluetooth module connects the implant with a soft “receiver” patch on the skin to wirelessly capture electrical signals from the heart for analysis.
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