Objective:

To develop a self-sustaining leadless intracardiac pacemaker powered by energy harvested from cardiac motion.

Approach:

• Device Development: Researchers created a leadless intracardiac pacemaker with two triboelectric nanogenerators (TENG) to convert heartbeats into electrical energy.
• Preclinical Testing: The device was tested in 12 adult swine through acute experiments and a 4-week chronic implantation evaluation.
• Energy Harvesting Evaluation: Energy harvesting was assessed under controlled mechanical conditions, measuring outputs at various accelerations.
• Chronic Evaluation: One swine underwent chronic evaluation for 4 weeks, with assessments of device position, cardiac function, and safety.

Key Findings:

• The TENGs produced electrical outputs synchronized with cardiac activity, with maximum outputs of 14.2 V and 1.1 μA.
• The device achieved a volumetric power density of 277 μW/cm³, over 100% higher than previously reported implanted nanogenerators.
• The pacemaker electronics increased heart rates from 92 to 100 bpm and from 75 to 120 bpm while maintaining stable capture.
• No thrombus formation or significant adverse effects were observed during the chronic study.

Limitations:

• The study was preclinical and involved only one swine for chronic implantation evaluation.
• Controlled mechanical simulations could not replicate the complexity of physiological cardiac conditions.
• Longer studies in larger animal cohorts are needed to assess tissue remodeling and device stability.

Sources:

• Science Advances