Symbiotic cardiac pacemaker

TLDR

Self‑powered implantable devices that harvest biomechanical energy from cardiac motion, respiration, and blood flow are emerging, and triboelectric nanogenerators provide high output, power density, and durability for in‑vivo bioelectronics. The study demonstrates a fully implanted symbiotic pacemaker that harvests biomechanical energy and provides cardiac pacing in large animals. The pacemaker uses an implantable triboelectric nanogenerator to harvest and store energy for pacing. The device corrects sinus arrhythmia, prevents deterioration, and delivers up to 65.2 V with 0.495 μJ per cardiac cycle, exceeding the pacing threshold of 0.377 μJ.

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.