Developed automatic filling technology in the body

Millions of people around the world use defibrillators that are buried in the body. The problem is the battery. Replace the battery every 5 to 10 years. This requires surgery. It is expensive to replace equipment, and there are risks of complications or infection.

The Dartmouth University research team, supported by the US National Institutes of Health, developed a technology that could be charged to a variety of internal devices using self-powered heartbeat to eliminate battery replacement. A pacemaker inserts a lead into the heart to sense or send a heart signal. This technology also provides a mechanism to convert the kinetic energy of the heartbeat into electricity into electricity and to charge it continuously. In other words, it is advantageous not to replace whole new development device but to reduce patient burden and cost by using already built equipment.

This technology employs a polymer piezoelectric film made of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF). If you add it to your existing pacemaker, you will have a structure that efficiently converts even small strokes into electricity. The possibility of using the same module as a biosensor to collect patient body data in real time is also being examined.

The researchers say the invention is lightweight, flexible and thin enough to fit the body, explaining that the device is not only compatible with the pacemaker architecture, but also with scalability to accommodate future versatility. So far, research and development has taken about three years’ pre-clinical course and it will take five more years to get regulatory approval in the future. In the future, it will be possible to expect the possibility of reducing the operation burden and making healthcare easier by monitoring in real time. For more information, please click here .