Heart Pacemakers may be powered by the Heart itself
British Scientists have invented a new type of medical heart pacemaker that draws some of its power from the heart itself. This is an important breakthrough in the field of self powered devices which can be implanted into the human body.
Although the discovery was part of an experimental project, it is an important breakthrough in UK pacemaker research which could bring benefits to the design and manufacture of heart pacemakers, defibrillators and other implantable medical devices.
The research was carried out at Southampton University Hospital in the United Kingdom, and produced a device which was capable of producing approximately 17 percent of all the electricity required to run the pacemaker from the energy of the beating heart.
Battery free pacemaker within a few years
According to Dr Paul Roberts from the University Hospital ‘This was a proof-of-concept study, and we proved the concept’. The researchers believe that a battery-free heart pacemaker could be available within the next few years, which will reduce the long term pacemaker cost and help to reduce pacemaker problems.
Heart Pacemakers are fitted to people who suffer from abnormal heart rhythms – also known as arrhythmia – under the advice of a doctor or cardiologist. Arrhythmia, although not usually serious can be a distressing complaint where the heart beats slower or faster than normal, or beats erratically, which can be very worrying for the sufferer. In very rare cases the arrhythmia can be fatal, with as many as 500 deaths per year attributable to the condition in the United Kingdom each year.
Pacemaker technology
The heart pacemaker is a small, battery powered electronic medical device which is usually surgically implanted under the collar bone of the pacemaker patient. It works by sending precisely timed electrical impulses to the heart to control the rate of the heart’s beating, and keep it to a constant rate.
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Another type of device – also implanted, is the cardioverter defibrillator which is similar to the pacemaker, but is capable of detecting dangerous abnormal heart rhythms. It then sends small electric shocks to the heart to correct the problem arrhythmia. There are also other special types of pacemaker for tachycardia, or a bradycardia pacemaker, or ones used to help to treat heart failure are available.
Pacemaker battery replacement currently requires a surgical operation
In all of the above examples, although the battery life varies between different manufacturer’s pacemaker types, it will usually need replacing after eight to ten years.
The pacemaker procedure for battery replacement involves another surgical operation that has to be performed under general anaesthetic sedation.
This is a costly operation, costing as much as 15,000 dollars or more, so the arrival of a battery free pacemaker is eagerly awaited by the medical profession, and health insurance
companies worldwide.
Arrhythmia
We tend to take our hearts for granted. Often the only time we actually remember that we have a beating heart which is solely responsible for keeping us alive, is when we feel that flutter in our chest, which may make us gasp for breath momentarily. This is a typical Arrhythmic episode and may only last for a few seconds or minutes, and following this, we carry on with our lives as usual, with the memory of the incident quickly fading into obscurity.
What is Arrhythmia?
The definition of Arrhythmia is that it is any abnormal heart rhythm, where the heart may beat either very slowly, very fast, or with a seemingly random beating rate. The heart beats because electrical signals are sent from a natural pacemaker, also known as a Sinoatrial Node or Sinus Node, which is part of the heart. This electrical impulse is transmitted within the heart muscle through special electrical cells. The effect is to make the heart muscle contract, which is the basic mechanism which causes the blood to flow throughout the body.
However, these signals can be interrupted for a number of different reasons, and the result is an abnormal heart rhythm as a result of the delay of these electrical signals on their way through the heart. Alternatively, the electrical messages may arrive from a different part of the heart, instead of the natural pacemaker.
Symptoms of Arrhythmia, or Heart Arrhythmia
If the heart rate is very fast, very slow, or irregular, it can make it more difficult for the heart to pump blood around the body.
Abnormal electrical impulses associated with Arrhythmia
Some of the symptoms of Arrhythmia are as follows :-
- heart beat like a thumping sensation
- missing heart beats
- heart beat racing or beating faster than normal
- feeling of dizziness
- feeling of tiredness
- feeling out of breath
- collapsing
What causes Arrhythmia?
Most people have an occasional extra, or missed heartbeat, usually without noticing it. Excessive stress, lack of sleep and stimulants, such as caffeine and nicotine, increase the risk of arrhythmias, as can medications, such as decongestants and alcohol. Continue reading