Symbiotic cardiac pacemaker

Abstract

Self-powered implantable medical electronic devices that harvest biomechanical energy from cardiac motion, respiratory movement and blood flow are part of a paradigm shift that is on the horizon. Here, we demonstrate a fully implanted symbiotic pacemaker based on an implantable triboelectric nanogenerator, which achieves energy harvesting and storage as well as cardiac pacing on a large-animal scale. The symbiotic pacemaker successfully corrects sinus arrhythmia and prevents deterioration. The open circuit voltage of an implantable triboelectric nanogenerator reaches up to 65.2 V. The energy harvested from each cardiac motion cycle is 0.495 μJ, which is higher than the required endocardial pacing threshold energy (0.377 μJ). Implantable triboelectric nanogenerators for implantable medical devices offer advantages of excellent output performance, high power density, and good durability, and are expected to find application in fields of treatment and diagnosis as in vivo symbiotic bioelectronics.

Implantable medical electronic devices are limited by battery lifetime and inflexibility, but self-powered devices can harvest biomechanical energy. Here the authors demonstrate cardiac pacing and correction of sinus arrhythmia with a symbiotic cardiac pacemaker, which is an implanted self-powered pacing system powered by cardiac motion, in a swine.