Heart rhythm disorders affect millions of people worldwide. When the heart beats too slowly or irregularly, patients may experience fatigue, dizziness, fainting, or even life-threatening complications.
For many of these individuals, pacemakers provide a reliable solution by helping the heart maintain a stable rhythm.
Traditional pacemakers have transformed cardiovascular care. However, they require surgery to implant and depend on wires that remain inside the body for years. Although generally safe, implanted devices can sometimes lead to infections, mechanical failures, or the need for replacement procedures when batteries run out.
Researchers have long dreamed of creating a pacemaker that could work from outside the body. A new study from MIT suggests that this dream may be moving closer to reality.
Scientists have developed an experimental pacemaker that uses ultrasound waves rather than electrical wires. The device is designed as a lightweight sticker that attaches to the skin. About the size of a postage stamp, it contains tiny components that generate focused ultrasound pulses capable of reaching the heart.
Ultrasound is already widely used in medicine for imaging. It allows doctors to view babies during pregnancy and examine internal organs without surgery.
Researchers have increasingly explored whether ultrasound can do more than create images. In recent years, studies have investigated its ability to influence brain activity, stimulate tissues, and deliver therapeutic effects.
In the new study, the MIT team adapted this idea for the heart. They discovered that ultrasound can activate specially engineered heart cells. These cells contain modified ion channels that become highly sensitive to sound waves. When exposed to ultrasound, the channels open and allow calcium to enter the cells, triggering contractions that produce a heartbeat.
To test the idea, researchers first worked with human heart cells grown in the laboratory from stem cells. They genetically modified the cells to respond more strongly to ultrasound. When the ultrasound pulses were delivered, the cells beat in sync with the sound signals.
The next step involved testing the system in animals. The scientists attached miniature ultrasound stickers to rats that had received the sound-sensitive treatment.
The device successfully corrected abnormal heart rhythms and restored more normal heart activity. Importantly, the treatment was performed without surgery and without placing any hardware directly inside the heart.
The researchers believe future patients might receive a one-time genetic treatment that allows their heart cells to respond to ultrasound. After that, a wearable pacemaker could potentially manage heart rhythms from outside the body.
Another exciting aspect of the project is the possibility of combining treatment and monitoring. The same research team has previously developed wearable ultrasound devices capable of continuously imaging organs. Future versions may be able to both watch the heart and regulate it at the same time.
Such a system could automatically detect rhythm problems and immediately provide corrective stimulation. This type of real-time monitoring and treatment could improve patient outcomes and reduce medical emergencies.
Beyond cardiology, the technology may have applications in other areas of medicine. Researchers believe ultrasound-based stimulation could eventually be adapted for other organs, creating wearable devices capable of diagnosing and treating a wide variety of diseases.
Despite the promise, experts caution that the technology remains in the early stages of development. Human studies have not yet been completed, and many questions remain about long-term safety, effectiveness, and practicality. The requirement for genetic modification may also create additional challenges for widespread adoption.
If you care about heart health, please read studies about top foods to love for a stronger heart, and why oranges may help fight obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.
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The study was published in Nature Biomedical Engineering.
Source: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
