A pacemaker is a device that helps control an irregular heartbeat by sending electrical pulses to the heart’s chambers. The first implantation of a fully implantable pacemaker occurred all the way back in 1958. Since then, there have been numerous advances in the field, with devices growing smaller and more efficient over time. Recently, scientists created the smallest pacemaker in the world. In fact, it is even smaller than a grain of rice! This temporary heartbeat regulator is injected into a patient and controlled via light signals before completely dissolving.

The Development of the World’s Smallest Pacemaker

At the moment, this breakthrough technology is still years away from human trials. However, it is being lauded as a transformative technology that could potentially prompt significant medicinal advances in the future. Currently, there are millions of people across the world who live with permanent pacemakers. However, the team was motivated to create this device to help those children with rare congenital heart defects who require a temporary pacemaker for the first week following surgery. Luckily, most children’s hearts self-repair after around seven days, so they only require pacemakers temporarily. However, the week following surgery is very critical. Having a device that doesn’t require invasive surgery makes a huge difference for the patients.

Additionally, it could potentially also help restore the heartbeat of adults in the process of recovering from heart surgery. The currently existing temporary pacemakers have electrodes that need to be surgically connected to heart muscles. When the temporary pacemaker is no longer in use, these wires get pulled out, which can often cause significant damage. For example, in 2012, the famous astronaut Neil Armstrong passed away from internal hemorrhaging after his pacemaker was removed. However, this new device is completely wireless and is so small that it can fit into the tip of a syringe. Most impressively, it dissolves when it is no longer in use, which means that patients don’t have to undergo any invasive surgeries.