Microneedle Cardiac Pacemaker With Self-Harvesting Power
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cardiac pacemakers require battery replacements every 8 to 10 years, necessitating invasive surgeries and are prone to complications like infections and vessel occlusions due to leads, which are difficult to manage and pose a risk to patients.
Innovation Solution
A cardiac pacemaker with an array of microneedles that harvest electrical energy from myocardial cells, using a chip with a capacitor stack and CMOS-Logic to be self-sufficient, eliminating the need for battery replacements and leads.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Duration of action of moving object
If a built-in chemical battery is used to power the pacemaker, then the device can operate continuously, but it requires repetitive device replacements every 8 to 10 years due to battery depletion
Solution Approach 1:
The pacemaker harvests electrical energy directly from the myocardial tissue through microneedles, allowing the device to power itself continuously without external battery replacement. The energy harvesting system converts the heart's own electrical activity into usable power, making the device self-sufficient for its entire operational lifetime.
2Reliability
If leads are used to connect the pacemaker with the heart, then electrical connections can be established, but it increases the risk of pacemaker infections and vessel occlusions
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates the leads from the pacemaker system. Instead of using external leads to connect the pacemaker with the heart, the device uses microneedles that directly penetrate the myocardial tissue to establish electrical contact, thereby removing the source of infections and vessel occlusions while maintaining reliable electrical connection.
3Use of energy by moving object
If conventional recharging systems using magnetic induction or solar cells are used, then the battery can be recharged, but additional technical devices outside the patient's body must be used which requires medical procedures
Solution Approach 1:
The pacemaker employs an autonomous energy harvesting system that continuously converts the heart's electrical activity into electrical energy through microneedles. This eliminates the need for external recharging devices and medical procedures, as the device automatically powers itself using the body's own physiological signals.
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
The pacemaker operates autonomously, reducing the risk of complications and invasive procedures by harnessing energy directly from heart muscle cells, providing reliable and long-term cardiac rhythm management.
Implementation Method 1
harvesting of electrical energy from myocardial cells
Data Source
AI summary
The invention discloses a cardiac pacemaker, characterized in that the cardiac pacemaker comprises a multiple of microneedles and a chip comprising at least one comparator with adaptive level, sequence control circuit, at least one capacitor stack built by n capacitors and 2n switches, at least one buffer capacitor outside the at least one capacitor stack, at least two additional switches outside the at least one capacitor stack, a CMOS-Logic, wherein further, the cardiac pacemaker comprises an interposer layer comprising holes for the multiple of microneedles and a lid. The cardiac pacemaker is characterized in that the chip, is located on one surface of the interposer layer and that the lid and the interposer layer form a capsule for the chip. Further, each microneedle of the array of microneedles has a distal end which protrudes from the chip and the cardiac pacemaker is adapted to be electrically self-sufficient.