Scientists Design a Cute Flower-like Pacemaker Model For Arrhythmia

A patient with atrial fibrillation sometimes referred to as an arrhythmia, has an erratic heartbeat. Additionally, around 60 million people worldwide suffer from this illness. And one of the lifesaving tools at our disposal is a pacemaker, which regulates irregular heartbeats in people with persistent cardiac diseases including atrial fibrillation and other types of arrhythmia. However, because pacemakers are invasive, the life-saving pacing they provide can be agonizingly painful. In addition, specialists claim that pacemakers are only helpful in treating a small number of certain disorders. Therefore, researchers from the University of Arizona and other institutions created a wireless, battery-free pacemaker that might be placed using a less intrusive technique. [caption id="attachment_59355" align="aligncenter" width="642"] Image: Science Advances[/caption]

About the new flower looking pacemaker model

According to the study's press release, the market's available pacemakers work by screwing or connecting one or more leads into the heart. If the sensors on these lines detect a potentially hazardous irregularity, they can shock the heart with electricity to reset the beat. Furthermore, the new gadget would allow pacemakers to provide impulses that are much more precisely targeted by enclosing the entire heart in a revolutionary, digitally created mesh architecture. Additionally, it uses optogenetics and light. The apparatus hasn't yet been tested on people, though. Moreover, to make sure that the light signals may reach different parts of the heart, the researchers created a system that comprises surrounding the organ rather than implanting leads that only provide a few points of contact.

More details

The four petal-like parts of the new pacemaker model are made of thin, flexible film and contain recording electrodes and light sources. And like a flower closing up at night, the petals draw up over the organ's edges to encase it. In addition, the researchers specifically designed the petals to take into account how the heart changes shape as it beats. However, despite the promising outcomes of studies like this one in animals, it is still very early to use optogenetics in humans. According to ScienceAlert, gene therapy is necessary to make cells light-sensitive, and an implantable electrical device is necessary to govern how the cells are activated. According to the research team, more work is needed to enhance the processes of this particular device for identifying and treating different types of arrhythmias as well as to model the complex nature of heart rhythm issues. Furthermore, the flower-like device is one of many that are currently available as a research tool for researching arrhythmias and other cardiac problems, at least in animal models. Lastly, you can find all of the study's findings in Science Advances.