Heart Electrical Conduction System Powering Implantable Devices
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing implantable medical devices (IMDs) face power depletion issues due to continuous charging of batteries, leading to premature device failure and the need for frequent surgeries, which is costly and inconvenient for patients.
Innovation Solution
A system that harnesses the heart's electrical conduction system to generate electric charges by measuring heartbeat periodicity and capturing excess nerve impulses to power IMDs, reducing the load on batteries and minimizing surgical interventions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If continuous charging input supply is provided to the battery, then the battery can be kept charged, but the battery life is reduced and device replacement frequency increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system transitions from continuous charging to periodic charging by monitoring battery charge levels and only activating the charging mechanism when the battery falls below a threshold level. This periodic charging approach maintains device functionality while preserving battery life by avoiding unnecessary continuous charging input.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback control by continuously monitoring battery charge levels and using this information to dynamically adjust charging behavior. The controller receives feedback about battery status and modulates charging input accordingly, ensuring the battery is charged only when necessary to maintain device operation without extending battery life unnecessarily.
2Power
If piezoelectric effect based charging process is used, then power can be generated from mechanical stress, but the complexity of the system increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system makes the pacemaker lead multi-functional by enabling it to serve both its primary function of delivering cardiac stimulation and its secondary function of generating power through piezoelectric effect. This universal approach allows the same component to perform multiple functions without requiring separate dedicated power generation devices, thereby managing system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The pacemaker lead generates its own power through piezoelectric effect in response to mechanical stress from heart contraction, making the system self-powered without requiring external batteries or power sources. This self-service capability eliminates the need for separate power management components and reduces overall system complexity.
3Ease of operation
If induction coils are placed with the implanted medical devices, then wireless power transmission is enabled, but the device complexity and surgical intervention requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts the power generation function from external sources and relocates it directly into the implanted device through the piezoelectric pacemaker lead. By taking out the dependency on external power sources and induction coils, the system eliminates the need for complex wireless power transmission components and reduces device complexity while maintaining ease of operation.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This method provides continuous power to IMDs without affecting the heart's normal functionality, reducing the frequency of battery replacements and surgeries, thus enhancing patient safety and reducing healthcare costs.
Implementation Method 1
generating, storing and transmitting electric charges from the electrical conduction system of the heart to power an implantable medical device
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed herein is system and method for generating, storing and transmitting electrical charge from heart's electrical conduction system to power implantable medical devices. An intelligent monitoring module in the system monitors amount of nerve impulses that are generated at the Sinoatrial (SA) node of the heart and continuously compares number of the generated nerve impulses with a threshold nerve impulse value. If excess impulses are detected, the intelligent monitoring module routes the excess nerve impulses to a battery management module which generates charge by converting the excess nerve impulses to electric charge. This charge may be further used to power up the implantable medical device.