Did you know that every year nearly 700,000 people in the United States lose their lives to heart disease?
And about one-third of these folks sadly pass away just weeks or months after a serious heart event.
It’s a huge problem! But what if I told you that scientists are coming up with something that might just change the game?
A Tiny Solution
Researchers from Northwestern and George Washington (GW) universities have created a nifty little device that could be a lifesaver.
The cool thing? It’s about the size of a postage stamp!
This tiny, soft, and flexible device can monitor and treat heart disease. What’s even better is that once it’s done doing its job, it just dissolves inside your body.
That’s right, it just disappears. No surgery needed to take it out!
More Than Just a Heart Monitor
Now, you might be thinking, “We already have devices to monitor hearts, right?” Yes, you’re correct. But this new device is like the superhero of heart monitors.
It’s not only more detailed than regular heart monitors like pacemakers but it can also be placed on different parts of the heart.
Plus, it constantly sends heart data to doctors who can keep an eye on things remotely. And, it’s see-through! This means doctors can take a better look at your heart to help them make the right decisions for your treatment.
Superhero Scientists
This cool new heart device is being studied by scientists like Northwestern’s Igor Efimov and GW’s Luyao Lu. They’re like the superheroes behind the scenes, working to make the future of heart care better.
Efimov is a heart doctor who works with experiments, and Lu is an assistant professor of biomedical engineering at GW. They’re both super smart people who know their stuff when it comes to hearts.
Building on Success
This heart device is not their first rodeo. Efimov and his team have been working on heart-related projects for a while. Back in 2021, they made the world’s first dissolving pacemaker.
And then, earlier this year, they came up with a ‘tattoo’ made of graphene to help treat irregular heartbeats. With this new device, they’re going one step further.
More than a Pacemaker
Traditional pacemakers only give doctors a general idea of how the heart is doing. But this new device is way more detailed.
It not only helps keep the heart beating normally but also shows which parts of the heart are doing well and which are not. Plus, because it’s transparent, doctors can study the heart even better.
Goodbye, Device!
One of the coolest things about this device is that after it’s done its job, it just dissolves. It’s made of materials that are safe for the body and have the thumbs up from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Think of it like those stitches that dissolve on their own. This neat trick could help reduce healthcare costs and make patients healthier by avoiding complications from taking the device out and lowering infection risks.
So, What’s Next?
Right now, this tiny superhero device has been tested in small animal models, and the results are promising. The next step is to test it in humans.
This tiny superhero could be a game-changer for heart patients around the world. And while it may be tiny, it has the potential to make a big difference in the world of heart care!
If you care about heart failure, please read studies that drinking water may reduce your risk of heart failure, and this diet could help reverse heart failure.
For more information about heart health, please see recent studies about how to eat less salt to protect your blood pressure and heart health, and results showing magnet in these popular devices may harm your heart health.
The study was published in Science Advances. Follow us on Twitter for more articles about this topic.
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