pacemaker

Scientists at the University of Chicago have developed a new pacemaker that’s thinner than a human hair, wireless and operated entirely by light from an optic fiber. The non-invasive device could help regulate heart activity or even stimulate neurons in a set pattern to treat symptoms of conditions like Parkinson’s.The heart pumps thanks to a series of very carefully timed electrical signals, but if those signals fall out of time, they can lead to all sorts of issues, such as strokes, heart attacks or even a fatal failure…

Image Source : PIXBAY Smartwatch If you are a fitness enthusiast and love to wear smartwatches to keep your vitals checked, then you have to be cautious. If you are a heart patient or if you know someone who has a pacemaker installed on their heart or if any other cardiac electronic device is implanted for heart health, then these wearable devices might inadvertently…

The leads that connect external pacemakers to the heart can potentially cause problems, either if they're removed or left in place. German scientists are therefore developing an alternative, in the form of leads that get absorbed by the body.It's not uncommon for patients to develop an arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat) after undergoing heart surgery. The condition is usually treated via the temporary use of an external pacemaker, which is connected to the heart via electrical leads that were implanted – as a preemptive…

A powerful and dangerous strong solar storm on Earth can have stunning consequences for mobile phone users and even the amazing iPhone 14 is not safe. The Sun and its magnetized plasma that it ejects at unimaginable speeds are still being studied. There is a lot we do not know about these particles we call coronal mass ejections or CME. We do know that they are extremely dangerous and destructive in nature to us. We do not know how they are formed or what causes their randomness. When these CME particles are shot out…

Ordinarily, pacemakers correct irregular heartbeats by delivering an electric shock to the entire heart – which can be painful. An experimental new one takes a different approach, and it does so by encompassing the heart with light-emitting "petals."In a conventional pacemaker, one or two electrical leads are surgically anchored into the heart muscle. Whenever sensors within those leads detect an irregularity in the heartbeat, they respond by delivering a corrective electric shock. Unfortunately, that shock stimulates not…

In a bid to use solar energy more efficiently to power medical devices, scientists have innovated a new method to develop solar cells that could help build better pacemakers. Expanding the potential of solar cells, scientists from the University of Chicago incorporated holes on the top layer of the solar cells, making them porous. They found that the holes could improve the technology and in turn be used in making less-invasive pacemakers.The current method to make solar cells requires two layers. Here, either silicon is…

The transient pacemaker is shown before dissolving. The device is flexible, stretchy, and wireless. Credit: Northwestern UniversityLast summer, <span class="glossaryLink" aria-describedby="tt" data-cmtooltip="<div class=glossaryItemTitle>Northwestern University</div><div class=glossaryItemBody>Established in 1851, Northwestern University (NU) is a private research university based in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Northwestern is known for its McCormick School of…

Last year, scientists at Northwestern University announced a transient pacemaker that dissolves when no longer needed. They've now improved the device, and incorporated it into a linked suite of wearable sensors.The original implant was designed for people recovering from an injury or heart surgery, or who otherwise only require a pacemaker for a short amount of time. In any case, once they've recovered from their condition – within five to seven weeks – the pacemaker will have biodegraded and been harmlessly absorbed by…