Reviewed by Megan Craig, M.Sc.Nov 6 2023 The meeting, to be held Nov. 11-13, in Philadelphia, is a premier global exchange of the latest scientific advancements, research and evidence-based clinical practice updates in cardiovascular science.
According to the American Heart Association, traditional pacemakers have tiny wires, or leads, that connect to the heart on one end and on the other end, to a generator just under the skin of the left shoulder. The leads use sensors, or electrodes, to detect the patient's heartbeat and then send electrical impulses to the heart to provide pacing, if needed.
After placing the prototype devices into a special machine set to simulate the heart's natural pressures at a rate of 60 beats per minute, researchers recorded the energy that the device generated in response to this artificial heartbeat. They found that the best of the three prototypes harvested approximately 10% of the energy necessary to pace the "next beat," based on average pacemaker output.